Denise was a sweet girl who could always find good in everyone. If people could see the unseen, they would see she had wings; because she most definitely was an angel of God. Even though she was just a ten-year-old kid, she had more faith than some church pastors, more joy for life than some of the richest people, and more love for others than most people could feel in their entire lifespan.
Denise believed that love healed people, and even the most wicked of kids could be helped. She did what she could to spread this healing love. She didn’t heal many adults because she knew it wasn’t the right time in her life to help them—that would come later, when she was older. But, occasionally she felt the need to help a grown up. Mostly, Denise knew she had a purpose for this age of her life—to help other kids learn to love themselves. She strongly believed that we are all God’s children and God’s blessings are for everyone. Those kids who did not love themselves, or believe in God and His love, or had just no clue whatsoever about the bigger picture—the spiritual part of life, were the kids she tried to help.
She was a cute kid, too, with large curls of brown hair flowing over her little shoulders and eyes as bright as the full moon in the countryside. She had an adorable button nose and a tiny gap between her two front teeth that added to her cuteness. She was short for her age, but a feisty, determined, yet patient, child. And, one thing everyone noticed about Denise was she always wore overalls. She had many different colors of shorts overalls and a few pants overalls for those cold months in North Carolina.
Denise spent a lot of time walking the beach, collecting sea glass and beautiful stones. Each time she took a piece from the sand and put it in one of her many overall pockets, she would say thank you to the ocean. Some days she would fill every pocket and come home looking like she was wearing a breastplate beneath her overalls. Her dad would joke and say to her, “now you’re ready to go to battle.” Holding one of her larger stones, Denise would raise her arm up into the air and declare: “Evil is the enemy I fight, and my faith is my armor!”
Her dad would smile at her with love-filled eyes.
He was a cool dad. He ran an antique shop on the beachfront in a small town on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, and he often sold crystals, some as large as a bowling ball. Denise loved them and picked out her favorites to keep for herself or give to a friend in need. Her dad didn’t mind at all. In fact, he bought and sold so many crystals he barely even noticed; and, he encouraged his daughter in her heartwarming endeavors.
Denise studied her stones and crystals until she knew the names of nearly every one. Crystals were easy to identify. She learned how they were formed from the earth’s evolutions, each one growing differently. She read about how to care for them, like which ones needed cleansing and how to meditate with the crystals, as well as how to use them for healing. Denise also taught herself how to make artsy things with them, like jewelry, fairy villages, and wind chimes. She respected each and every one. She knew they absorb and transmit energy, especially negative energy. They can stimulate or have a calming effect. Some are good for allergy headaches while others are good to reduce stress. She loved them so much, it was easy for her to remember all that she learned. Denise knew a lot! Especially for a kid.
She used this knowledge to help others. Denise would often find the perfect crystal for someone who needed it most, and she would give it to them with some encouraging words and lots of love. She became known as the little witch of Emerald Isle. She didn’t mind what people called her, she liked that nickname. Denise just wanted to help the kids who needed it. Unbelievers usually received crystals such as citrine, or petaline to help link them to a spiritual reality. Then, she would would give them another stone, dedicating a specific purpose to it and asking God to assist in the focused energy and love added to the stone.
One day, a boy and his mom were in Denise’s dad store. The kid looked to be about seven years old. He noticed some candy for sale and asked his mom to buy it for him. She said no and continued her browsing. Denise, who sat high up on a ladder, was stocking shelves. She noticed the little boy looking back toward the candy many times. He slowly made is way to the colorful jars. He looked around, but he didn’t see Denise watching him. He reached into a jar, grabbed a handful of Skittles and shoved them into his pocket. However, as he tried put the lid back on the jar, it fell from his hand, making a loud clatter as it hit the floor. His mother was beside him in no time at all. She slapped the back of his hand. “I told you ’no candy’!” she exclaimed. The boy looked down guilty. His mother noticed the bulge in his pocket, reached in and pulled out some Skittles. “You naughty boy,” she scolded. “You stole these candies. Stealing is a sin! Now you have bad karma. Go over there and give back the candy and apologize to that man for stealing.”
Denise watched as the boy apologized to her dad. Her dad forgave the boy and told him if he’s good next time they visit his store that he will give him some candy for free, but only if he’s good.
As the boy’s mother checked out her purchases, Denise got down from the ladder and introduced herself to the boy. His name was Paul.
“Ma’am, can I show Paul my crystals? It will only take a second.” She asked his mom.
“Well, I guess that will be alright. I want to browse the lawn ornaments outside anyway.”
So, Denise had a talk with Paul as she guided him toward the counter where they kept the crystals.
“I really love Skittles, too,” said Denise.
“I’m sorry. They just looked so good, and mom hardly ever let’s me have sugar. But I shouldn’t take what doesn’t belong to me. I knew it was wrong. That’s what mom says a sin is—doing something you know is wrong. Do you think I have bad karma now and God will punish me?”
“No. God does not punish people,” Denise replied. “He loves you very much. But there are still consequences to our actions, and you’ll have to deal with those. Understand?”
“Yes. I think those will come from my mom,” said the boy. “I probably won’t get anything for desert tonight.”
Denise chuckled. “You’re probably right, there,” she replied. “But you knew it was bad to steel. That’s your conscious,” she explained. “God was telling you it was wrong. It was up to you to decide whether or not to listen.”
“Next time, I’ll listen. Then I won’t have to have bad con, con....”
“Consequences. And, you will feel better, ultimately. I know it’s hard to resist sugar, I love sugar! But, that’s our body craving the joy sugar temporarily gives us. If it’s not the right time to indulge, we should not indulge.”
“It wasn’t the right time. It wasn’t mine to take, and mom said no. If it was desert after dinner, that would be different.”
“Well, let’s see here,” said Denise, opening up the display case window. Many sparkling rocks rested on blue velvet across the cabinet.
“I have something here that will help you, Paul,” said Denise. She reached for an orange carnelian crystal. “Your mom means well, but she could use some clarity, I think.” She grabbed another crystal, this one a pink carnelian.
“I’m going to give you both similar crystals. To help your mom love life a little more and heal any areas that need healing in your relationship, I charge this pink carnelian with true, unconditional love.” Denise closed her eyes and said a prayer as well.
“This orange one is for you, Paul. It will help you overcome any form of unkindness and help you trust yourself and your perceptions.”
Paul observed that his new friend used a lot of big words, especially for a kid.
“Perceptions?” he asked.
“Yes. How you see things, people, and situations. You will be able to think for yourself rather than taking what everyone else says as fact.
“Cool,” said Paul. “It will make me smart!”
“It will bring out the smarts you already have,” Denise explained. “If you ever have a question about what’s right and wrong, hold onto this stone and ask God for an answer. It will come to you. Trust the process.”
“Thank you, Denise. I will! I hope I can come back someday soon, not only for the free candy your dad promised, but also to see you!”
Denise laughed. “I hope so, too. Let’s go find your mom.”
At that moment, Paul’s mom walked back into the shop carrying an ivory colored angel lawn ornament. As she checked out again at the register, Denise approached her.
“This is for you,” said Denise, smiling brightly, her baby-blue eyes aglow with love.
“Oh. Really?” asked the lady, looking at Denise’s dad for approval. He nodded, yes.
“Thank you, sweetie,” said the lady.
“It’s a magic crystal full of love. If you concentrate you might feel it vibrating with positive energy.”
“I feel happier already,” said the lady.
“I gave one to Paul, too,” said Denise.
“Did you say ’thank you,’ Paul?” asked his mom.
“Yes. Can we come back here some other day, Mom, so I can play with Denise?”
Denise smiled. “I would love that.”
“Sure,” said the mom.
“Here,” said Denise’s dad, handing her a business card. “We could set up a play date.”
“Thank you,” she replied, looking at the card, “James.” He nodded.
“My name is Connie.”
“We’ll be hearing from you, then, Connie.”
“Have a good day,” she replied, grabbing her new angel statue and glowing with a new brightness.
Paul waved as they exited the store.
A couple of weeks later, Denise and Paul had their play date. When Connie dropped off Paul, Denise suggested all four of them go down to the beach to look for sea glass.
“Sounds good to me!” said James.
“Let’s do it,” Connie replied.
The kids found some beautiful stones. Denise filled up her overalls again.
“Whenever she does that I say she looks like she’s wearing a breastplate of righteousness,” said James, chuckling.
“But to do this,” Connie declared, “you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of Peace with God.”
“A Bible reader,” observed James.
“Yes,” said Connie.
“Will my favorite flip flops serve as my shoes? I’m not too speedy in them, but they do give me great peace.”
“Oh, most definitely!” replied Connie, smiling.
“I would love to talk more about your beliefs and my beliefs, say over coffee sometime?”
Connie blushed. She had not been asked out in many years. “I would like that,” she replied.
While the grown ups were getting to know each other, so were the kids. Paul was telling Denise about how the crystal she had given him helped him figure some things out. He also said his mom seemed a lot happier. She made her crystal into a necklace. It brought her great joy, and she even started baking cookies more often!
“That’s awesome!” said Denise, elated at the outcome. She said a prayer of thanks to God.
The End
From A-Z Bedtime Stories by Celia Blake
All rights reserved. The full collection will also soon be available at TwilightLetters.com
