I was in China on a mission. One of the many things we did on this adventure was meet at this small tea house for something called English Corner. English Corner was a chance for some of the locals to come in and practice their English with those who were fluent. I got a chance to hold a conversation with an older Chinese woman who happened to be a single mother of one little girl. During our conversation she seemed to not only be able to practice her English with me but started to open up to me about what was currently stressing her. She was sad for her daughter. She had noticed that her daughter of eight years old had begun to develop a strong artistic talent. The little girl wanted so bad to be an artist and she constantly practiced her creativity at home and in school. What saddened the mother was that this was not acceptable in their culture. Her family was against it, the school was against it and the little girl’s friends made fun of her. The lady then explained that in this place it is not acceptable to be the taller tree. That everyone must be on the same plane as everyone else. The little girl was not allowed to branch out, she must remained pruned back. Her daughter was a tree that could not become the full majesty that she was created to be. She wished so bad that she could send her daughter to America where her daughter could grow among the shores of freedom. Ever since this conversation I realized how blessed I have been to grow in a place that encourages artistic growth. I pray for this girl even to this day. I even had a dream that she was able to finally grow beyond the trees next to her and become the height that God had planned for her talents. This tree story is dedicated to this little girl.
Jared Konopitski
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