A Chance to Be Silly

A few days ago we asked you guys on our Facebook and Instagram pages to finish this sentence:

Every girl deserves a chance to.....what?

Your responses were beautiful and poignant, and we could feel the emotion behind each of your thoughts. Many of you said Thrive. Every girl deserves a chance to thrive. To prosper or flourish. That word 'thrive' immediately made me think of vibrant flowers in a field. Good soil, ample sunlight, protection from predators. There are certain things that are necessary for flowers to thrive in a field. Even in a garden, there must be daily care and attention. Getting rid of the weeds. How much more care and attention does every girl deserve?

Another response was Shine. When girls know how special they are, that there are ways they can contribute to life and society. That they have value, plain and simple. How can they not keep from smiling at that reality? To shine makes me think of tapping into each girl's unique personality and gifts. Confidence. Looking for avenues where they can exercise their own special talents. So often girls don't realize they have immense potential and creativity. Instead thousands of them carry the shame of being born a girl, living in a man's world where opportunities are limited, and people only know you by your husband or your son.

One of my favorite thoughts is that every girl deserves a chance to be silly! There is a comfort and a relaxedness (making up words here now) when we're able to be silly. Letting the guard down. Among friends and loved ones. I love seeing our girls be silly, tell jokes, smile BIG smiles. Many of them try to hide their smiles, but I tell them to show their beautiful teeth. There's nothing to be ashamed of when we feel happy, silly, or giddy.

Why would anybody want to extinguish this bright light and energy in a girl's life? We believe in igniting that fire in girls' lives, striking the match. Exposing our artisans' girls to new games, crafts, books, hobbies, travel, an education, a future career. Concepts they have rarely considered before. But now they have a chance to dream, knowing they are safe and accepted. Now they can smile and no hiding it :)

Photo credit: Sylvia King