Yesterday I watched some of the US Figure Skating Championship and NFL football. As in any competition, someone or some team comes in first. It got me to thinking that I have never come in first in any competition, except for a spelling bee in the sixth grade.
Not coming if first never really bothered me because I learned a lesson very young from Anna Louise. Anna Louise was my favorite doll when I was a little girl. She was a baby doll - cloth body and rubber head and about eight inches tall. Very sweet lips and deep blue eyes made her pretty. I had other dolls, even a walking doll named Cathy, but they were not as special as Anna Louise.
Once a year a local store held a doll contest. The dolls were registered and placed in the window for all to see. Some of the dolls were those big bride dolls, dolls in country costumes, dolls resembling princesses. When I was five years old I decided that Anna Louise had to be entered into the contest because she was so special and beautiful to me. If I loved her, other would love her and vote for her.
My aunt made a special nightgown for Anna Louise and my dad brought me to the store to register her. The saleslady put her right up front in the window, in what I thought was a special spot. When it came time to announce the winner, I was right there with my dad, holding my breath in anticipation. Anna Louise did not win the contest. I was heartbroken. My first loss in life and it was hard. The saleslady took Anna Louise from the window and handed her to me. She must have seen the disappointment all over my face because she knelt down and said, "Never be sad about not finishing first. As long as you do your personal best, you are a winner. Your Anna Louise is your best because she is so special to you and loved by you. That is all that counts." I may not have completely understood what she meant then but I have never forgotten her words and used them through my life.
Anna Louise will always be special to me - even sixty-two years later.
Jeanne
Not coming if first never really bothered me because I learned a lesson very young from Anna Louise. Anna Louise was my favorite doll when I was a little girl. She was a baby doll - cloth body and rubber head and about eight inches tall. Very sweet lips and deep blue eyes made her pretty. I had other dolls, even a walking doll named Cathy, but they were not as special as Anna Louise.
Once a year a local store held a doll contest. The dolls were registered and placed in the window for all to see. Some of the dolls were those big bride dolls, dolls in country costumes, dolls resembling princesses. When I was five years old I decided that Anna Louise had to be entered into the contest because she was so special and beautiful to me. If I loved her, other would love her and vote for her.
My aunt made a special nightgown for Anna Louise and my dad brought me to the store to register her. The saleslady put her right up front in the window, in what I thought was a special spot. When it came time to announce the winner, I was right there with my dad, holding my breath in anticipation. Anna Louise did not win the contest. I was heartbroken. My first loss in life and it was hard. The saleslady took Anna Louise from the window and handed her to me. She must have seen the disappointment all over my face because she knelt down and said, "Never be sad about not finishing first. As long as you do your personal best, you are a winner. Your Anna Louise is your best because she is so special to you and loved by you. That is all that counts." I may not have completely understood what she meant then but I have never forgotten her words and used them through my life.
Anna Louise will always be special to me - even sixty-two years later.
Jeanne
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