Hello Sweetheart,

I see you. I see your pigtails and your pink dresses and your deliciously chubby cheeks. I see your emerald eyes sometimes shining with joy, sometimes heavy with self-doubt.

And I feel you darling one. I feel your divine playfulness, innocence and exuberance. I also feel your overwhelming fear of not just doing the wrong thing but being the wrong thing.

I hear your little trembling voice reminding me to be a good girl, to always look after others and make sure everyone likes us. I hear you tell yourself when things go wrong that you’re not enough and everything is all your fault.

I know that deep down you are scared that you are unlovable and everyone will leave you. I know that always being nice and taking care of others seemed like the best way to guarantee they would stay.

Thank you for doing the absolute best you could to make sure our needs were met. Thank you for all your wisdom and creativity in getting us this far.

I’m so sorry that I haven’t been there for you, sweet girl. I’m sorry I have placed such a heavy burden on you by letting you be the one to deal with so much big adult stuff.

I’m here now so you won’t ever be alone again. I’m loving you now so you won’t ever feel unloved again.

You can talk to me whenever you feel like it. You can tell me all about your ideas, your hopes, your dreams, and your fears.

You can keep teaching me about finding joy in the smallest things, like flowers and dancing. You can keep teaching me about how to be fully in my body and fully in the moment.

And I will show you that since it’s no longer possible for us to be alone, or unloved, we can stop taking care of others and simply take exquisite care of ourselves.

That starts right now. It’s time for you to rest, baby girl. I shower you with hugs and kisses. I wrap you up in your favourite blanket, with a vegemite sandwich and The Little Mermaid movie. And when you’re done resting, let’s put flowers in our hair and dance.

Catherine M-Wright is a writer, dancer, teacher, sunshine-seeker and tree-hugger from Terrigal, NSW. Her vision is for every woman to love themselves as fiercely as they love others. She is passionate about creating safe spaces for women to feel nurtured, connected and inspired, including a weekly Goddess Temple embodiment practice for women. For more information join The Goddess Sisterhood on Facebook.