Alejandra C.
Photography by Ashley Kung
If you’re reading this, it’s okay to be little.
The world believes bigger is better. It has always been this way. From a young age, we are taught that more money, more friends, more recognition, and more power will give us satisfaction. People have strived to obtain power because they believe it will solve their problems. From my own experience, I have seen the downfall of trying to be bigger and more powerful.
My father left my mom, my sisters, and me when we were very young. I don’t recall a memory with him. He broke my mom’s heart and my family. He thought that hurting us gave him more power. He’s wrong, and I need you to know that the power of love is greater than the power that the world wants us to believe we need.
We all carry pain from those who were supposed to love us. But we don’t need to use this pain for evil. Could this pain instead fuel in us a desire to love better than those who couldn’t? I don’t blame my dad. He grew up full of pain and did not know what to do with it. He grew up in a world that told him that being little and having weaknesses was embarrassing. But it isn’t.
I used to believe that I needed to be perfect without any weaknesses. I would ignore the pain from my childhood, which hurt me more in the end. Praying to my best friend, Jesus, healed me from this belief. He tells me that it is okay to be little. It is better to recognize and embrace my weakness so that I can lean on His never-ending strength.
My faith has helped me forgive my dad because I know that he was weak–and that’s okay. I pray for him and for all of you to realize that it’s okay to ask for help. No one is perfect, and we all need a hand to hold.
Whenever I think that being little is bad, I go back to the image of me as a little girl. All I wanted was to be free. I could play all day and know that if I fell, I could run into my mother’s arms. Children depend on others in such a beautiful way. They aren’t embarrassed to ask for help. They are curious to know more and ask many questions. They are confident when asking to play with friends. They recognize that they are little, and that’s okay. It doesn’t stop them from living life fully, and it shouldn’t stop you either. I encourage you to talk to that little girl or boy inside of you because she or he has always been there.
Be kind to yourself in your weaknesses because they aren’t going anywhere. Embrace being little.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
- St. Mother Teresa
Alejandra C., University of Florida
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