Somwhere between Once Upon A Time & Happily Ever After...

Once upon a time, not so long ago, I was a very little girl.

I loved being a little girl. I had the prettiest barbies and always had them dressed for a fancy occasion, I wore the cutest little dresses, and had more dolls than other girls I knew. My doll house had all the latest accessories, and when I played dress up I loved my mom's pearls and high heels. I hated my brothers "boy toys", unless my Barbies were marrying his GI Joes. I had waist long hair and liked to be pretty. My goal as a little girl was to grow up to be like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I was the ultimate girly girl.


When I was very little, I thought that life would be just as sweet and innocent as I was; like all the movies I loved to watch (which all happened to be Disney Princess movies.) I knew I would grow up to be just like all the princesses I adored. I knew I'd be best friends with all of the forest animals and the peculiar inanimate objects. I was sure I would be the fairest of them all, with long flowing hair and a tiny waist. I knew I would be able to seduce handsome men with my angelic singing voice. I knew that I would have some horrible, almost impossible trial to overcome, and some evil villain to conquer, but because of my inner beauty, love for others, and the strong faith in myself, along with the support of my fairy godmother, I would overcome whatever hardship was thrown my way, and that in the end, my handsome, strong, (not to mention wealthy) prince would ride up on his magnificent white horse, and sweep my off my delicate little feet (which would of course be adorned with glittery glass shoes), and we'd live happily, madly in love, forever after. My life would be a wonderful fairytale, only real.

That was my dream. Thats exactly how I thought my life would be. My poor little 5 year old self would undoubtedly be heartbroken if she would have had a glimpse into the future...she would have seen there are no fuzzy forest animals keeping me company. No magic mirror. Nobody to burst into song every 10 minutes. No evil villain to conquer, no fairy godmother. And my shoes are certainly not made of glass. I must have been crazy...

.....Or maybe I wasn't.....

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, the Second Counselor in the 1st Presidency of the Church said, in his April 2010 Conference talk,

"Aren’t those wonderful words to begin a story? “Once upon a time” promises something: a story of adventure and romance, a story of princesses and princes. It may include tales of courage, hope, and everlasting love. In many of these stories, nice overcomes mean and good overcomes evil. But perhaps most of all, I love it when we turn to the last page and our eyes reach the final lines and we see the enchanting words “And they lived happily ever after.”

Isn’t that what we all desire: to be the heroes and heroines of our own stories; to triumph over adversity; to experience life in all its beauty; and, in the end, to live happily ever after?

You are a beloved daughter of Heavenly Father, prepared to come to the earth at this particular time for a sacred and glorious purpose.

Those words are true! They are not made up in a fairy tale! Isn’t it remarkable to know that our eternal Heavenly Father knows you, hears you, watches over you, and loves you with an infinite love? In fact, His love for you is so great that He has granted you this earthly life as a precious gift of “once upon a time,” complete with your own true story of adventure, trial, and opportunities for greatness, nobility, courage, and love. And, most glorious of all, He offers you a gift beyond price and comprehension. Heavenly Father offers to you the greatest gift of all—eternal life—and the opportunity and infinite blessing of your own “happily ever after".

For a moment, think back about your favorite fairy tale. In that story the main character may be a princess or a peasant; she might be a mermaid or a milkmaid, a ruler or a servant. You will find one thing all have in common: they must overcome adversity.

Cinderella has to endure her wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters. She is compelled to suffer long hours of servitude and ridicule.

In “Beauty and the Beast,” Belle becomes a captive to a frightful-looking beast in order to save her father. She sacrifices her home and family, all she holds dear, to spend several months in the beast’s castle.

In the tale “Rumpelstiltskin,” a poor miller promises the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king immediately sends for her and locks her in a room with a mound of straw and a spinning wheel. Later in the story she faces the danger of losing her firstborn child unless she can guess the name of the magical creature who helped her in this impossible task.

In each of these stories, Cinderella, Belle, and the miller’s daughter have to experience sadness and trial before they can reach their “happily ever after.” Think about it. Has there ever been a person who did not have to go through his or her own dark valley of temptation, trial, and sorrow?

Sandwiched between their “once upon a time” and “happily ever after,” they all had to experience great adversity. Why must all experience sadness and tragedy? Why could we not simply live in bliss and peace, each day filled with wonder, joy, and love?

The scriptures tell us there must be opposition in all things, for without it we could not discern the sweet from the bitter. Would the marathon runner feel the triumph of finishing the race had she not felt the pain of the hours of pushing against her limits? Would the pianist feel the joy of mastering an intricate sonata without the painstaking hours of practice?

In stories, as in life, adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise. Adversity helps to develop a depth of character that comes in no other way. Our loving Heavenly Father has set us in a world filled with challenges and trials so that we, through opposition, can learn wisdom, become stronger, and experience joy.
You need to know that you will experience your own adversity. None is exempt. You will suffer, be tempted, and make mistakes. You will learn for yourself what every heroine has learned: through overcoming challenges come growth and strength.

It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop.

There are those among you who, although young, have already suffered a full measure of grief and sorrow. My heart is filled with compassion and love for you. How dear you are to the Church. How beloved you are of your Heavenly Father. Though it may seem that you are alone, angels attend you. Though you may feel that no one can understand the depth of your despair, our Savior, Jesus Christ, understands. He suffered more than we can possibly imagine, and He did it for us; He did it for you. You are not alone.

If you ever feel your burden is too great to bear, lift your heart to your Heavenly Father, and He will uphold and bless you. He says to you, as He said to Joseph Smith, “[Your] adversity and [your] afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if [you] endure it well, God shall exalt [you] on high."

Everywhere you look today, you will find promises of happiness. Ads in magazines promise total bliss if you will only buy a certain outfit, shampoo, or makeup. Certain media productions glamorize those who embrace evil or who give in to base instincts. Often these same people are portrayed as models of success and accomplishment.

In a world where evil is portrayed as good and good as evil, sometimes it is difficult to know the truth. In some ways it is almost like Little Red Riding Hood’s dilemma: when you are not quite sure what you are seeing, is it a beloved grandmother or is it a dangerous wolf?

We all search for happiness, and we all try to find our own “happily ever after.” The truth is, God knows how to get there! And He has created a map for you; He knows the way. He is your beloved Heavenly Father, who seeks your good, your happiness. He desires with all the love of a perfect and pure Father that you reach your supernal destination. The map is available to all. It gives explicit directions of what to do and where to go to everyone who is striving to come unto Christ and “stand as [a witness] of God at all times and in all things, and in all places.” All you have to do is trust your Heavenly Father. Trust Him enough to follow His plan.

...Embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ! Learn to love your Heavenly Father with all your heart, might, and mind. Fill your souls with virtue, and love goodness. Always strive to bring out the best in yourself and others.

...The day will come when you turn the final pages of your own glorious story; there you will read and experience the fulfillment of those blessed and wonderful words: “And they lived happily ever after.”

So even though my dreams of being a princess probably won't happen the way I thought, I'm still living my fairy tale. I know that I will have almost impossible trials to overcome, and some evil villains to conquer, but because of the strength within me and with my faith in the Savior, I can conquer them all. I may not have a fairy godmother, but I have a loving Heavenly Father to help me throughout my journey. I may not be the fairest of them all, but I am a Daughter of Heavenly Father, the King of Kings, and I am beautiful, maybe even a princess, in His sight. Who cares what the world thinks. Instead of forest animals, I have my wonderful & loving family to lean on and support me. One day, my handsome knight in shining armor will sweep me off my feet (which most definitly will be adorned with pretty shoes) and he'll ride me off into the sunset, to his shining castle (and hey, don't temples look like castles just a little?)

So maybe my 5 year old self knew more than I know now. She knew that one day, I really would find my happily ever after and that I would become the beautiful princess I always wanted to be.