[blockquote source=”Marianne Williamson “]“Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.”[/blockquote]

I watched a group of boys playing ball from my window today. Behind them, and trying desperately to keep up, was a much younger – and quite a bit smaller – little man.

“Go away,” they shouted. “You’re ruining our game.”

And then I watched, as the smallest of boys – hung his head sadly and walked away. I could see his eyes beginning to tear, so I stepped outside and called him near.

“Come here, my darling. And, tell me…just what is this awfully big matter?”

“I hate being little,” he said, sniffling through his tears.

Oh, how I remember that feeling of always being too ‘so very small.’ Chasing my big brother and all of his friends perilously through those thick woods. I wanted so very much to be part of their much bigger group—to laugh and to play. But always, and inevitably, they would ‘shoosh’ me away.

“Get out of here, you little baby.” they would shout. “Go home, we don’t want you around!”

Sometimes, the earliest of lessons are the ones that stick with us the longest. Because, I will never forget that feeling of being so very small. I suppose, that’s why it is that I’m always on the lookout for little ones being pushed away.

“Come here,” I said, pulling him nearer. “Do you see those trees, how they move? And how the birds, way up there are thoughtfully looking down at you. And, the wind? Can, you feel the wind against your cheek? Oh, and how about that sun way up over there? Close your eyes, and tell me…can you feel the sun’s light shining down on you?”

“Yes,” he sniffled, as he scrunched up his eyes and turned his face towards the sky.

“Well,” I whispered in hushed secrecy, “all of that is the Universe—and you’re a very big part of that, too. Everything that is, and everything was…and everything that might ever be, it’s all a part of you, too. So, you see, my darling – you are not so very small, at all.”

And, though—at six years old, I’m not sure just how very much of these words may have settled in. I could tell, at least, as he looked up at the sky—that he felt just a little ‘bigger’ that day.

We all feel small, sometimes.

And, there will always be something much bigger than our own hearts, and with the capacity to completely humble our souls.

In life, there will always be challenges. And, there will be times when we face what may seem to be insurmountable odds.

But know this—nothing is ever too big, and we are never too small.

So, shine on and shine through—because, after all, the Universe is within you.

And always remember, no matter how hopeless the odds—even a hummingbird can put out a forest fire.

In this beautifully animated clip from Dirt! The Movie, Wangari Maathai tells an inspiring tale of doing the best you can under seemingly interminable odds. It is one of my favorite stories, and one that I share with any little one who’ll sit still long enough to hear it.

I hope you’ll share it with your little ones, too.

Show them that no matter what happens in this world, they are never too small after all.

From Wangari Maathai, “I Will Be a Hummingbird.”