Old Soul

Teresa said something today  that reminded me of what an old soul she really is.  She wanted to know when I was a little girl if Jesus gave me a new heart.    I asked her why and she said, because  Jesus was  going to give her a new heart and then her heart would be just like mine.

 Most people see  Teresa as just a little six year old girl that LOVES to be a princess.  She loves to play dress up, wear make up, wear high heeled shoes and play pretend all day long.  She goes to bed as a princess and wakes up a princess.  She has tea party's, watches all the princess movies , knows every Disney princess by name along with their Princes'.   Whenever she makes a wish it is always to be a real princess.   Being a princess and living in this make believe world is how Teresa escapes from reality.  Her reality  of a feeding tube, wearing oxygen, difficulty breathing, tiring easily, having  half a heart that is always beating too fast, too slow , skipping beats or beating so hard I can feel it through her chest as I hold her . 
Occasionally people see a little girl who when she is too tired to keep up with her sisters has a major melt down .  Or  when her very strong will to do things her way are not met , well here comes another melt down.
But there is another side to Teresa . One not too many people have seen.  One she keeps for those that look deeper.   She is  very sensitive and can pick up on others feelings.  She loves Jesus and talks about what heaven is like a lot.   She loves to  give hugs. She will give almost everyone a hug. Occasionally she will give someone a hug that just happens to be sitting by us in church or someone that she does not know too well. When I ask her why she did that , she always says because Jesus said to hug them.  This side of Teresa is very special.

Jenny Bowen saw this side of Teresa  in China in  Half the Sky Home,  she called  Teresa magical.  A few volunteers at the  Half the Sky home have written to me telling what a special little girl Teresa was and how they were drawn to her.  People from all over the world have emailed or written to me to say how they have seen something in her that has inspired them or given them hope.

Teresa also loves to be rocked.   This is usually when she shares her heart with me.  She talks about China and when she lived there.  Or about family and how she loves her family.  She talks about flowers and how in heaven you can pick all the flowers you want and not get into trouble.  She talks about the different colors the birds are and what her favorite color is.  How Gemma loves all the colors so her favorite color is the rainbow.  She also will sometimes say something that makes me think ... where did that come from?   But I know... at these times I feel like she is the one rocking me.

She never has asked "Why me?"  or why she has a broken heart or a little arm.  She always has the answer that God is going to fix her heart and fix her arm. 
I call Teresa my little old Soul. (A spiritual person whom is wise  beyond their years; people of strong emotional stability. Basically, someone whom has more understanding of the world around them.)


 “A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others”
― L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Teresa has been loved by so many around the world, please continue to pray for her .