She walks in... and sits down.
Her legs cross and I can see her shoes. They are black, laced, and with a substantial heel.
They look like any other pair of shoes I've seen in the world... except for one thing. This girl, has a lightbulb in one of shoes.
I go over and talk to her, to hear her story... and to ask about the lightbulb.
Her story isn't a very happy one. In fact, it's very sad.
No, her mother didn't die, neither did her father.
But at one point she wished she had...
And at one point she tried to make her wish come true.
I listened with a heart heavier than I knew it was possible to have.
I watched her with eyes almost too blurry to see her face.
After she was done talking, she ended happy with, "my family and friends all love me so much and I'm so grateful for them!"
My eyes became clear again, or rather clear enough to ask her another question... a question about the lightbulb. I asked her why she had this small clear glass lightbulb tucked into her shoe...
Her answer, very shocking.
She replied, this light bulb is my heart.
It's always with me when I need it and in my shoe it can never be burned out by the world using it too much. I did not expect this answer, but I understood it.
Having wanted to wish your life was over?
Having wanted to make your own wish come true? I didn't like her answer and I wished it wasn't true, but part of me understood her answer, totally and completely.
But that didn't stop me from trying to help her understand something.
I turned to her and looked at her... tears running down her face because no one had every asked about her lightbulb before... and cared to listen to the whole story of why it was there... I asked her something...
I asked her, what happens if you put that lightbulb in a lamp and let it shine to light the way for others? She answered me with the saddest answer I have ever heard.
She said, my light won't make a difference in this dark and horrible world, that's why I keep my lightbulb in my shoe.
I didn't understand how she could think that... because the room we were standing in was being lighted with lightbulbs of all the people there... including mine.
I looked at her again and said your lightbulb would make a difference.
She simply and safely answered... no I know that it would not.
I asked her if I could see her lightbulb and show her that what she thought of her lightbulb, was all wrong.
She agreed.
I went to the light switch and turned off all the other lightbulbs... I put hers in an empty socket and I waited a moment hoping I hadn't made a mistake. I flipped on the switch only her lightbulb... and to my great relief, it worked... it worked just as I had hoped.
Her lightbulb, it didn't matter the size of it, lit up the entire room.
I went over to her and asked... can you see me?
She answered yes.
I looked at her and said... the light in this room right now came from that lightbulb in your shoe... The light in this room right now came because you were here and cared enough to share your heart with all of these people... this light, right here and right now is because you are here, right here and right now.
No one else has the power to shine your light... but you...
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