It was a time when vividly colored dragons and beautiful fairy princesses occupied the land.
Good kings ruled their subjects fairly and evil was always soundly defeated. Little boys had their beanstalks, and geese laid golden eggs.
Poverty was common. But poor people were scrappy and their children unaffected by their circumstances, merely inconvenienced.
Wonder was all around and there was magic in the air.
Yes, it was a made-up era in a make-believe place, and one sweet soul in Brooklyn New York lived there.
Her name is Jordana. She is eleven years old. And for as long as she can remember, she has lived in a fairy tale that plays in her head.
Jordana sees nothing of the gritty reality that is her neighborhood in the borough. The pavement is not a dirty gray concrete, it is a lush green carpet, soft and squishy between her bare toes.
She skips and sings happily as she makes her way down city sidewalks, playfully stopping to admire a flowering bush or the tiny creatures scurrying about, going about their daily business.
People think she’s crazy.
Crazy in the best way possible. Jordana is pure sweetness and light with a fetching innocence that causes even the grouchiest adult to smile. Children littler than her adore her, and big kids are mesmerized by her charm.
Somehow, Jordana manages to get by without exposure to any of the ugliness of modern day life. She lives only the beauty.
Jordana is the child of a mother, bless her soul, who succumbed to the poison of drugs and alcohol. Her father is unknown. She is a ward of the state.
By the grace of God, Mary Lou Simkins is a foster mom to young Jordana and everyone will tell you, it is a match made in heaven.
Other parents would have had Jordana in and out of therapists offices, likely on meds, and definitely she would have endured (at the least) much scolding.
Not Mary Lou, she knew from the get-go, Jordana was special, God’s chosen. How many people were born with rose colored glasses for the mind, body and soul?
And so, Jordana was raised with no restrictions to her imagination. No quashing of dreams. Everyday life for her is a Disney movie.
Imagine doing your chores as a singing Cinderella. Going to school and facing even the most cross teacher with the spirit of a happy fairy princess oozing kindness and curiosity. Imagine never feeling hurt, or angry, always being upbeat and cheery.
If you can imagine, then you must have met a Jordana in your lifetime.
Believe this. Once in a while God plucks a baby from the womb and sets inside their soul an outlook to the world that bears no malice. This child is born to fix sagging spirits.
With a super hero cape tied securely over earthly clothing Jordanas of the world affect people in need with purity. Their effervescence is contagious and Reverend Jim Fukes caught it.
Mary Lou and Jordana went to church last Sunday. Reverend Jim was the guest preacher and he led the service through a morning of hell fire and brimstone. Words strong, loud and vicious spewed from self-righteous lips.
Mary Lou was horrified. What a miserable man. Where was the comforting inspirational style sermon she was used to hearing?
Mary Lou kept her eye on her innocent charge. Jordana was smiling as usual. What was she seeing? What was she hearing that was bringing her pleasure? After all, weren’t they in the same place at the same time listening to the same awful man?
But Jordana was not in a drafty church on the corner of Main and Noble. She was in a king’s castle in a land far away. It was the moment in the story before the wicked ruler had his change of heart.
After the service Jordana went up to the Reverend Fukes and worked her own Godly magic. She told him a tale of evil defeated where the people lived happily ever after. It was a sweet story spoken with love.
The Reverend softened his stance, uncrossed his arms, and smiled (as people always do) while he listened. Then he gave young Jordana a hug. Mission accomplished.
Yes, even those of the cloth need a fairy tale to remind them of God’s true intent: love, beauty, and redemption.