Storytelling for Week 2: True Love

From a young age, when I walked in a room people took notice.  I never knew how beautiful I was until I got older and more and more stares were directed towards me.  They were never stares of astonishment; it was more of a mesmerized gaze upon stranger’s faces.  I truly did not want the attention.  I was known for my beauty but no one had ever wanted to speak to me or get to know me underneath the surface.  I was the younger of two older sisters who were not known for their looks but seemed to have life going for them.  We came from a prestigious family where we were expected to marry some one of great potential.  My two sisters had married, one to a lawyer and the other to a doctor.  Our parents were proud of them but concerned with me. 

My father became so worried that he took it upon himself to see a Palm Reader.  On the evening of this day, my father returned home with a saddened look on his face.  He told our family that the Palm Reader had a terrible vision.  Because of my beauty, no man would be brave enough to approach me or feel worthy enough to marry me.  I was destined to be a lone for the rest of my life.  As my parents and sisters mourned for weeks over my predicament, I turned to a higher being, God.  I did not know much about God but decided to invest my time in something since I would be alone forever.  I studied the bible and learned how to pray and through that process I developed a relationship with God, my heavenly father. 

My parents concern remained constant for months.  They were especially concerned about how calm I was during this revealing of my future.  I told them about my newfound faith in God and how I had learned that it’s okay to be alone and that you are never really alone when you have God.  I also had developed an understanding that I am a precious child of god, a beautiful creation made specifically from his hands out of love and care.  What earthly being would ever love me the way God does?  A mere mortal would never know my heart the way God did and be able to pursue a relationship with me.

When I became set in my faith and accepted that it would be just God and me for the rest of my life, I had a peace within me.  I knew that no matter what God would take care of me and provide for me.  Soon after this revelation, a local farmer approached me on my way to the towns market.  He began to talk to me about his produce he was selling at the market and was genuinely interested in getting to know me.  He never once commented on my looks or seemed afraid to speak with me.  I had never experienced an encounter like this and was not sure what to think.

A few days passed and I had not given the event that had happened previously much thought.  One evening, the young farmer came to my house.  Shocked, I invited him in and immediately questioned his behavior.  He wanted to get to know me, he wanted to pursue something deeper with me, and he saw something different with me.  Never once did he mention my beauty.  He truly wanted to get to know my heart and was willing to be patient and loving through the process.  As I shared the news with my family, my heart filled with joy.  I turned to my loving God in a dark time and he showed me what true love was.  I was content with who I was and had learned how to live by myself.  Through that, God provided me a man who was not prestigious but was loving and true and that is what is really important in life.

(Google Images: The Love of Jesus)

Authors Note: I based this story off of Cupid and Psyche's love story.  I wrote it in first person because I found it easier to tell the story as if this was something that I was going through.  Although I am not the worlds most beautiful woman, I find it important that men and women should see beauty below the surface.  I am also a christian and so it was easier for me to write a story of things that I have learned based off my believes like Psyche's belief in the greek gods.  I wanted a love story that showed we do not need a significant other in our lives but if we become confident in who we are we can be confident with someone else also.  I chose the reading section of Cupid and Psyche, The Oracle of Apollo to coincide my story with.  In this part of Cupid and Psyche, Psyche's dad is told by the Gods that Psyche will have to die to mortality in order to have a husband.  They must send her away to the Gods for her to be married.