The Little Witch and the VERY BIG BAG

Once Upon A Time, there was a little witch. The little witch was known for carrying a VERY BIG BAG. She was always lifting the bag, dragging the bag, digging through the bag looking for things, and standing in funny positions because the bag was so very heavy.

Many times, her friends would say "You are a little witch. Why do you carry such a VERY BIG BAG?"

The little witch would tell them, "I must have all of things that are important to me close."

"Why?" They would ask."Why can't you leave some of them at your home, or in another safe place?"

And each time, the little witch would say, "Things change a lot, and I need to be ready."

"Like what things?" Her friends would ask.

"Anything, everything" she would tell them.

After a very long time, the little witch began to be very sore and really tired because of the VERY BIG BAG and not even her healing spells would make it better. She went to see a medicine woman. The wise, old one asked her "Why does the VERY BIG BAG make you feel safe?"

OH! The little witch had never realized. Is that what she was doing? She knew better than to accuse the wise one of nonsense. The wise one always told the truth. So she sat, and asked herself. DOES the VERY BIG BAG make me feel safe? She had to admit, it did.

She looked at the wise one, who met her gaze with her own smiling one. She told the old one "You are right. The VERY BIG BAG really DOES make me feel safe. I feel less nervous. I feel prepared."
The old one asked her, "Do you think you need ALL of those things to be ready?"

The little witch thought about it for a long while.

"No, she finally answered. Probably not all of them."

The medicine woman looked at her kindly, saying "The VERY BIG BAG is filled with many things. Some help you. Some do not. Some are ready to be let go of, or put away. The VERY BIG BAG is not helping you, it is holding you back. Do you understand?"

The little witch thought perhaps they were talking about much more than the VERY BIG BAG all of a sudden. But she smiled and simply said "Yes, I understand. Thank you."

As the little witch slowly walked home, dragging the VERY BIG BAG, she was very thoughtful.

By the time she got home, she had a VERY BIG SMILE on her face. The little witch dumped out the contents of the VERY BIG BAG. She looked at them, one by one, and remembered the stories and memories that went with each item. She laughed, she cried and she took her time doing this task. A few things she put aside. Some she put away in a special place in her home where she could find them if she needed to. Some other things, she gifted to others who needed them much more than she. Some she was able to let go of, she did not need them anymore, and so she put them in the recycling bin.

Then she took the small pile of things she had put aside, and placed them carefully in.....A CUTE LITTLE BAG. These things were carefully chosen. They would help her to be prepared and organized and ready, but they would NOT weigh her down. She put the CUTE LITTLE BAG on her shoulder and it didn't hurt at all! She felt very light and free, and she knew it was not just about the actual bag she had carried.

The next day the little witch went to THE PLACE OF UNITY. She liked it there, the people were so very nice, and welcoming. They worked so well together, helping one another. When she got there, the man with the beautiful smile said they were blessing bags today! She could not believe it! How perfect. There are no accidents, the wise one had once told her, and she knew it was true. The man with the beautiful smile and the lady with the shining eyes told everyone about how a bag packed with just what we need could be helpful when things were changing.

The lady with the shining eyes told a wonderful story about a starfish who learned about the many blessings that were right around her. The little witch loved the story so much! When it was her turn to go to the front, she brought the CUTE LITTLE BAG up with her. The man with the beautiful smile asked her what she would bring into the places where she would take the CUTE LITTLE BAG.

She answered "Trust and openness." She could choose to feel GOOD wherever she went, even when things were changing. The man with the beautiful smile gave her a blessing and some sparkles. Oh my, the little witch loved sparkles! And then, the lady with the shining eyes gave her a starfish pendant to remind her always of all the many blessings to be found right around her. She attached the starfish to the CUTE LITTLE BAG.

As the little witch walked back to her seat smiling and talking with the others, she was filled with joy. She knew that she was safe and ready no matter where she was in the world. She knew that there were beautiful people everywhere. She knew people will always help one another. She was excited and thought to herself "How fun! I'm ready!"

The little witch took her CUTE LITTLE BAG and went walking outside to enjoy a song with her new friends and enjoy the sunshine. And it was indeed a VERY GOOD DAY.