To the Little Girl Who Never Clocked Out
Sweet Jasmine,
I owe you an apology.
For years I thought you were the problem.
I thought you worried too much.
Tried too hard.
Thought too much.
Worked too hard.
Carried too much.
Today I finally understand.
You weren’t broken.
You were employed.
You believed it was your job to earn love.
Earn safety.
Earn belonging.
Earn worth.
And sweetheart…
You gave it everything.
You worked hungry.
You worked tired.
You worked afraid.
You worked while your little heart was breaking.
You took no vacations.
No weekends.
No holidays.
No sick days.
If love could have been earned…
You would have earned it.
If safety could have been earned…
You would have earned it.
If worth could have been earned…
You would have earned it.
No one could have tried harder than you.
The truth is…
You weren’t failing.
You were trying to complete a job that no human being was ever meant to do.
So today…
I’m not here to criticize you.
I’m here to relieve you.
Thank you.
Thank you for loving me the only way you knew how.
Thank you for protecting me through impossible seasons.
Thank you for staying awake when I couldn’t.
Now…
It’s my turn.
You don’t have to earn our place in this world anymore.
You already belong.
You always did.
Come here.
Rest.
I’ll take it from here.
Love,
The woman you protected long enough to become.
🌷 Closing Reflection
Before you leave the garden…
Is there a younger version of you who is still working a job they were never meant to have?
Maybe they have spent years trying to earn love…
earn approval…
earn safety…
or prove they were enough.
If that little one were sitting beside you today, what would you say?
Perhaps today is the day you thank them for protecting you.
Perhaps today is the day you gently take their hand and whisper:
“You’ve done enough. You don’t have to earn your place anymore. You belong. Rest now… I’ll take it from here.”
Carry those words with you this week, and notice if there’s one place where you can choose love over striving.