Different Paths of Childhood

Just finished reading Honestly, Katie John! by Mary Calhoun. And ok, so it's a book aimed at 11-year-olds. But it was a painful book for me to read, even now at my 'certain age'.

Painful because Katie John felt wildly different than all her friends--and oh, the memories that brings! She thought they gave importance to non-important things, wasting their days. Katie-John then rebels and becomes anti-everything her friends stand for--which she discovers is not the answer, either. By the book's ending, she learns to allow her friends to be who they are and to allow herself to be herself.

At age 14 I was like Katie-John. I remember standing in my bedroom all Scarlett-O'Hara-ish declaring, "Never again will I act like everyone else because I am like no one else!" I had different thoughts and values, but not until that day did I realize that was all right. You know, being out-of-step with 95% of everyone else.

But while I was 14, that's exactly what I began to realize.

And instead of being blown away by the unlike me folks, I began feeling grateful for the 5% who enjoyed the same things I did.

And this will sound weird, but I also grew to be thankful for my own company. I enjoyed being with this girl inside my skin, the one unlike most folks. She and I made all sorts of fun discoveries together--we read books no one else was reading, we wrote stories, took walks and imagined all sorts of adventures.

Most important, we began following where we thought God was leading, even different, crowdless path. And we found ourselves in wonderful places which led us to where we are now.

After all these years, we're happy. Contented.

And I'll bet Katie-John is one happy lady, too.



******


"Birds fly in flocks, but eagles fly alone." ... Joyce Meyer


"Haven't they got anything more important to do?"
Sue murmured soothingly about it being a little thing, but Katie-John surged on.
"That's just it. It's little!... Everything they do is little, silly, giggly. Don't you see, Sue, this boy-chasing--it's such a little way of life!"

... From Honestly, Katie John! by Mary Calhoun