Defeating Dragons

Yay! My first blog ever! Yes, I have succumbed to the curiosity of what it would be like to have a "blog". One must ponder, what do I discuss? How much information about my life should I include? Will anyone read it? Will crazy people read it and come-a-stalking? Honestly, I don't think I'm interesting enough to be the target of a crazed fan. Unless, of course, the fan already knows me and how amazing I am.. apart from my mediocre blog. And then they probably already know where I live, in which case I'd be out of luck. Wow! That was a little sad.

Let me start by explaining a little about the "Paper Bag Princess". First and foremost, the "Paper Bag Princess" is a book about female independence. Elizabeth is a princess down on her luck. Her kingdom was all burned up and her fiance was taken by a fiery dragon! Pretty sad stuff. BUT.. Elizabeth doesn't sit around and cry.. she throws on a paper bag for a dress.. that was the only thing not burnt up by the dragon... and she heads off to rescue prince Ronald. She eventually outsmarts and outwits the dragon and rescues the Prince.. only to find out he is not the man she thought he was. She says something to the effect of.. "Ronald.. your hair is combed and your clothes are nice, but you are a real bum!" ... and she goes home!

I love this book. It is a children's book, but my experience tells me, chidren's books hold a lot of truth for all ages. It is funny to me how often I feel like my life is telling and retelling of this story. I am a princess.. this I know.. but I often feel like my nature is hidden by a "paperbag", so to speak. My world falls apart, I trek onward, eventually defeating my dragons, God teaching me something in the process, and in the end finding out the princes I've been enamoured with or the things of the world I've desired.. aren't what they seem. I've been blessed enough to be able to see these things in the end and not settle for less that I deserve. I'm also grateful for the hard lessons. It isn't always easy to keep going when you've travelled far and things don't turn out the way you want them. I do know that God's plan is better than mine. Hopefully, next time the story will have a different ending.. but.. if it doesn't.. I'll hold up my head, giggle a little, and say.. "Ronald! Your hair is combed and your clothes are nice, but you are a real bum!"

My question to all you readers is this: What do you hide behind? What is your "paper bag"?