UNSELFISH PRINCESS

A while ago, I stumbled on a cartoon about a king who had 6 princes and a princess. He remarried when the queen died. The new mom was a witch and she was so cruel to her stepsons and stepdaughter that she turned all the 6 the princes into wild geese. The princess learned about this. Her brothers told her that the only antidote for the spell was: she couldn’t smile, nor speak, nor laugh within 6 years and she had to make a cloak for each of them made from a certain wild flower.

The princess promised to her dear brothers that she would do this for them no matter what. Wow! What a loving and courageous little princess! Her brothers were losing hope, but she didn’t give up!

Her brothers flew with the other wild geese of the forest. The princess? She lived in the forest and never spoke a word nor smiled nor laughed. She knitted each cloak with her own hands, until she grew so beautiful.

One day, a prince passed by the forest and fell in love with her. He married her, but at times he requested the princess to talk to him. With tears in her eyes, the princess would just shake her head. What a faithful sister!

A son was born to them and they had a feast. Many were invited. Alas! The cruel queen came and cornered her. She told the princess that their father died of loneliness and she, the witch, was the ruler in their land.

She forced the princess to speak, but to no avail. She kidnapped their baby and told everybody that the princess was a witch and ate her own son. The prince pleaded for her to speak out, but she didn’t. The people tied her in a pole. Put the 6 cloaks she wove on top of the logs on her feet and started a fire to burn her.

She kept silent and cried. She remained loyal to her promise even at the verge of death.

Swoosh! Came her geese brothers, flying towards the cloaks and they turned into human. One of the carrying the baby as they rescued him in the forest. 6 years had passed and the antidote was completed. The queen’s cruelty was exposed and she used her power against them, but the fire was blown to her and she was burned to death.

The brothers went back to their palace to lead their people and princess, now smiled and laughed and spoke again.

I was struck by the character of the princess. Like her, sometimes we have to sacrifice our own desires, our own happiness and dreams for the sake of other people.

At times we have to give up our comfort zones. We experience pain. We make hard decisions. At times we have to endure sacrificial love for blessings to be received by others.

In the end, the bewitched hearts of many will be freed because of how we allowed God to use our sacrificial love to make them free.

Abundant future is ahead of all of us . . . . Let’s be like the unselfish princess!

-luisadelacruz