Spirituality and Self Help
Light and Love with Lilo Garich
The Diary of a Journey
Once Upon A Time
God created a Kingdom. Like every Kingdom worth its salt, this one had a King and a Queen, as well as a beautiful little Princess.
This magical Kingdom was an enchanting world. The King and Queen were very kind and benevolent rulers. They were very dedicated to what they felt was their lives� purpose. For the King that meant many hours spent with his ministers, making sure that the laws of the land were fair and served his subjects. The kindhearted Queen in the meantime was kept very busy taking care of the emotional needs of the people, helping the sick and generally always being available for some helpful advice.
Were they happy? Well, if one had thought of asking that question, they probably would have answered that they did what was expected of them and they felt good about that.
The little Princess in the meantime was very lonely. She was a beautiful child, with golden curly hair and bright blue eyes. When she was born, her parents saw her for what she was, a part of themselves, very much dependant on their love and attention. However, as time went on, the pressures of their duties soon meant that the princess was delegated to a less important place. In fact, it gradually came to be that her existence was merely taken for granted.
Oh, to be sure, she was very well cared for physically. The King and Queen made it very clear that only the best was good enough for their little darling daughter. She had all the earthly goods one could possibly imagine. She wore only the most beautiful and precious clothes, had all the toys the kingdom could produce. Governesses whose lives� purpose it was to make her happy surrounded her.
And yet�. Something was wrong. Despite all the care and attention she received, the best food that was prepared for her, she was not well.
Imperceptibly at first, she lost her exuberance and love of life. As the years went by, everyone around her could see that she was growing thinner, her beautiful face became very pale, and she turned from a happy child into one that was always pining.
To say that everyone was alarmed is definitely an understatement. The best doctors in the kingdom were puzzled; they could not find anything that would explain why the little Princess was slowly fading away. No matter what medicine they tried, even if it appeared that something was helping, it only in the end lead to some other ailment.
The worry about their little Princess really made things difficult for the King and the Queen, and it became harder for them to do their work for the Kingdom. Nevertheless, they felt a great duty to their destiny and continued to put their focus and attention on what they felt was expected of them.
Just when it seemed there was no hope, a stranger came to the palace. Actually, this peasant woman had been there many times before. The guards had always sent her away, laughing and making fun of her offer to help. This time it just so happened that one of the ministers was passing by when she once again asked to be admitted. Curious, he questioned her and granted her entry.
The King and Queen upon hearing that there was someone who offered to help, wearily gave her an audience. They were definitely at the end of their hope, and maybe, just maybe this woman did have some kind of a potion that might help their daughter. Imagine their disappointment when this was not forthcoming. Instead they were confronted by a simple question. �Had they ever thought of asking the little princess what was making her so sick?�
Well, I am sure you can guess the answer to that. No one, least of all the King and Queen had ever given this a thought. What a preposterous suggestion! Hadn�t the best doctors in the land admitted that they did not know? How could their little girl have the answer? There is no denying that their first reaction was to throw this witch into the dungeon, a place that had never been used during their reign. But there was something about the woman�s calm assurance. She merely repeated her advice adding that this was the only way to save the little princess, as well as the Kingdom.
The reference to the Kingdom escaped the King and the Queen, or they might well have wondered what the fate of the Kingdom might have to do with their daughter�s illness. As it was, they were very preoccupied with more pressing matters. They had already wasted so much time just listening to something so ridiculous that there was nothing to it but to return to their duties��.. except��.. The Queen was the first one to become aware of this nagging little voice somewhere inside, that kept urging her to listen to the advise. After all, what could be lost?
Was it only their imagination, or did the King and Queen actually see some colour coming into the little pale face of the Princess upon entering her bedchamber? It was something that had very rarely happened in all her young life. The King and the Queen felt more than a bit awkward, They were not used to this parenting game. Actually showing affection to their little girl and expressing their love for her was definitely a new experience. It did take some courage to overcome their reluctance. Very much aware that they had pressing business waiting for them, they finally asked her to tell them what she felt was ailing her.
The little Princess could not believe her ears. Here was the question she had been waiting to hear for such a long, long time. She now very haltingly at first, interrupted by many tears, told her parents that she needed their love, she needed their time, and she needed attention. She needed to know that SHE was the most important person in their lives.
The poor King and Queen were devastated. How could that be? Had they not done everything they could for their little Princess? How could they possibly grant her wish to be with her, to give her their time and love as she requested? It would take them away from their duties. What would happen to their Kingdom, the well being of everyone living there?
They got very angry with this � witch� for having made them ask this question of the princess. It was perhaps a good thing that this wise old woman stayed in the background while all this was taking place. Once things had calmed down, she returned. Maybe she did have some magic power over the King and the Queen, as they began to pour their hearts out to her, expressing their confusion, and confessing their fear of not knowing what to do. The �witch�, despite the fact that she was merely a peasant woman, was also very kind and wise and she now took their hands in hers and told them a story.
It would really be inappropriate to repeat the whole story here, so I will just give you the gist of it. She explained to the Majesties, that their little girl represented the part of themselves that is that is most important to any human being. She made them see, (don�t ask me how) that by neglecting her, they had also neglected themselves. Slowly, very slowly they became AWARE. They began to understand how spending more time with their little Princess, actually playing with her, and constantly expressing their love for her would not only bring joy to the life of the Princess, it would also bring joy and meaning into their own lives, making them better able to take care of the Kingdom.
It was not an easy decision to make, but they were willing to try. At first all they could do was to take a few minutes each day from their duties. Then they began to realize that they enjoyed their time with the little Princess. Gradually they became willing to spend a bit more time, play a bit more. They read her stories and took her for walks in the woods. What an adventure! They had never seen the grounds themselves, being too busy taking care of others. They now discovered a new Joy within, making it easier to dedicate more time to their own newly discovered needs and wishes.
But what you may ask, happened to the duties, what happened to the Kingdom and all those who lived there? Well, no one ever could really explain how it happened. As the change in the King and Queen started to become noticeable, it began to affect everyone around them. There simply were fewer requests for help coming into the castle. Everyone, from the ministers down to the peasants were learning to take care of things on their own.
Alas, no change ever comes easy. At first the Rulers found it hard to accept that everything was going so smoothly without their direct involvement. They felt they were no longer needed and to be honest, they did not like that feeling at all. On the other hand they were really enjoying their time with the little Princess, who by now had regained her health and vitality and was a very, very happy little girl. As if that was not enough of a miracle, as time went on the King and Queen began to notice a change within themselves. There was a feeling of joy and happiness inside that just could not be ignored. It was something they had never experienced before, despite the fact that they always felt quite content and happy. What a wonderful feeling, what a wonderful way to fill their days.
The woman quietly left the palace. What a different place it was! The King and Queen, with a happy heart, joyfully supported by a lovely and lively princess, now ruled over a Kingdom where everyone learned from their example��And they lived happily ever after.
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