So this is the story of a young lady I've had the absolute pleasure of getting to know this summer...
Five foot something tall and a teenager in years maybe, but she's still a little girl by most measures. Her actions don't always fit her age. She struggles with grammar sometimes, confusng tenses & misspelling words, and the daily norm of tying her shoes comes as quite a struggle. Her outfits don't always match; clad in hand me downs from the older sister she strives so much to be like. She doesn't care, though.
Sure, she's a little rough around the edges. She might be too loud in public, and her sense of personal space is much closer than most people are used to. She acts out when she's mad and laughs like a hyena when she's entertained. She pays it no mind; however, and maybe in her case ignorance is the most protective, wonderful bliss.
But other people notice.
They stop and stare, wondering why she is the way she is. Yet very few care to know the actual answers. See people don't actually care why you're different, they just care that you're different. But maybe they'd hold back their condescending glares and instant judgements if they knew her story.
See what you don't know is that at fourteen years old she's faced death and hospital beds more times than you and I likely ever will. She's been so close to death that the life with which she lives is truly beautiful. And she doesn't even bat an eye the past despite the nightly pills that help to keep her safe.
And perhaps the part that is most often overlooked is this: She's not asking for your sympathy. She doesn't want empty apologies for the things that happened to her that not even God could control. She's not asking for preferential treatment either, she just wants you to give her a chance. She wants you to treat her like a normal, teenage girl.
And I'll be damned if she doesn't deserve it.
Because despite all her differences and perceived imperfections the truth of the matter is that she's another blonde, teenage girl. She loves her family and friends, she chases boys, and she likes to wear makeup. Her favorite color is pink, she looks up to her older sister, and she fights with her brother. She says things she doesn't mean to her parents, and she curses boys for being stupid. She handles middle school the same way we all handled those awful, godforsaken years.
She's in your face and not always socially adept, but she's hysterical if you really listen to her talk for a while. She can get on your nerves with her persistence and stubbornness, but maybe that's something we should admire not condemn. She's misunderstood but easily relatable to. And she's loud. (There's no two ways about that one.)
That's who she is, though. Take her or leave her.
I know that I'm going to do whatever I can to show her I care about her. She deserves that much.
NP: Meet Virginia- Train
