Grandma’s Magic Mirror Read online

  This book is dedicated to

  those who inspire and encourage

  our dreams and our dreamers.

  Without you, much potential

  goes unseen and unrealized.

  …and to those who inspire me

  every single day.

  Ted, Erin, Stephen, Marci,

  Sylvia, Rowan and Mom,

  you are the Magic in the Mirror.

  Deborah A. Battersby

  Grandma came to visit. “Where are

  my precious grangirls?” she called

  as she walked in the front door.

  She always called her

  granddaughters her “grangirls”.

  Grandma dragged a small suitcase

  on wheels and carried an even

  smaller case in her hand.

  “What’s in the little case?” asked

  Rowan, “I’ll show you when we

  unpack,” replied Grandma.

  Sylvia and Rowan were quick

  to help Grandma unpack. They

  knew a week with Grandma

  would be filled with surprises.

  Then she opened her small case

  and showed the girls a mirror.

  “Why does it have its own case?”

  asked Sylvia.

  “Well, it’s NOT an ordinary mirror.

  It’s very special, just like you,” said

  Grandma. “When you look into this

  mirror it gives you a magic message.

  It’s a special kind of magic that

  reminds you what’s inside of you.

  And it helps you to grow stronger

  each day.”

  “Can I look?”

  asked Sylvia.

  “Of course, you can,”

  said Grandma as she

  handed Sylvia the mirror.

  Sylvia looked

  into the

  mirror

  and she

  heard it say:

  Precious one, you’re made of love,

  Sparkling like the stars above

  Smart and clever brave and strong,

  Bright and beautiful all day long

  The world is blessed because of you

  The things you’ll learn, the things you’ll do

  Your biggest dreams will come to be

  When you practice and believe

  Remember now… I believe in you

  In all you wish, to be, and do

  Start the magic, allow; receive

  It’s fun to practice and believe

  A miracle is what you see

  With special power yours to weave

  Speak the words, the magic spell

  I am, I can, I believe!

  Sylvia shouted, “I am, I can, I believe!”

  She giggled and handed the

  mirror to her little sister.

  “Look! Look Rowan!”

  she said excitedly.

  Rowan smiled and quickly

  looked into the NOT ordinary

  mirror and the mirror said:

  Precious one, you’re made of love,

  Sparkling like the stars above

  Smart and clever brave and strong,

  Bright and beautiful all day long

  The world is blessed because of you

  The things you’ll learn, the things you’ll do

  Your biggest dreams will come to be

  When you practice and believe

  Remember now… I believe in you

  In all you wish, to be, and do

  Start the magic, allow; receive

  It’s fun to practice and believe

  A miracle is what you see

  With special power yours to weave

  Speak the words, the magic spell

  I am, I can, I believe!

  Grinning and giggling Rowan shouted

  back, “I am, I can, I believe!”

  Rowan laughed as the girls put their

  cheeks together so they could both

  look into the mirror at the same time.

  The mirror said:

  Precious ones, you’re made of love,

  Sparkling like the stars above

  Smart and clever brave and strong,

  Bright and beautiful all day long

  The world is blessed because of you

  The things you’ll learn, the things you’ll do

  Your biggest dreams will come to be

  When you practice and believe

  Remember now… I believe in you

  In all you wish, to be, and do

  Start the magic, allow; receive

  It’s fun to practice and believe

  A miracle is what you see

  With special power yours to weave

  Speak the words, the magic spell

  I am, I can, I believe!

  Together they chimed

  “I am, I can, I believe!”

  “Can we use the

  mirror every day?”

  the girls asked.

  “Yes, of course, every

  day and more than

  once a day if

  you like,”

  said Grandma.

  The girls decided to

  visit the mirror two

  times each day.

  They would look into the mirror in

  the morning after waking up and

  in the evening just before bed.

  On one of those mornings

  Rowan came to Grandma with

  the mirror and her Teddy Bear,

  Ben, tucked under her arm.

  “Grandma do you think the mirror

  can give Ben a message?”

  “I don’t know; why do you

  ask?” she replied.

  “He’s scared.” said Rowan. “What’s

  he scared of?” Grandma inquired.

  “He won’t try new things. He’s

  afraid he won’t do it right and that

  someone will tease him or make

  fun of him,” said Rowan with a

  frown. “And that makes him sad.”

  “Well, let’s see what the Magic

  Mirror has to say.”

  Rowan held Ben up to the mirror and

  it said:

  You too are made of love,

  Sparkling like the stars above.

  Rowan loves you, yes indeed.

  It’s time to practice and believe

  A miracle is what you see

  With special power yours to weave

  Speak the words, the magic spell

  I am, I can, I believe!

  Rowan knew that Ben wouldn’t be

  afraid anymore.

  Sylvia and Rowan visited the mirror

  every day during Grandma’s stay.

  The night before Grandma was to

  leave to go home, the girls asked

  if they could hear extra messages

  from the mirror before going to bed.

  Grandma smiled. “Yes, of course,”

  She sat with Sylvia and Rowan as they

  listened to the mirror’s message.

  Grandma was a little surprised to

  hear the girls saying the messages

  to each other along with the mirror.

  When they finished Grandma

  tucked the girls in and kissed

  them good night.

  Sylvia and Rowan told Grandma

  they loved her and would miss

  her and her NOT ordinary mirror.

  “I love you and I’ll miss you too;

  sweet dreams.” said Grandma.

  When the girls awoke the next

  morning Dad had already left to

  take Grandma to t
he airport.

  “Grandma has left a message and

  a small box for you,” said Mom.

  The message read:

  Dearest grangirls,

  Precious ones, you’re made of love,

  Sparkling like the stars above

  Smart and clever brave and strong,

  Bright and beautiful all day long

  The world is blessed because of you

  The things you’ll learn, the things you’ll do

  Your biggest dreams will come to be

  When you practice and believe!

  Remember now… I believe in you

  In all you wish, to be, and do

  Start the magic, allow; receive

  It’s fun to practice and believe

  A miracle is what you see

  With special power yours to weave

  Speak the words, the magic spell

  I am, I can, I believe!

  This message is magical and its power

  grows when you share it with others,

  the note went on to say:

  Read this message every day;

  pass it on along your way.

  Someone needs to hear you to say

  the magic words to make their day!

  The girls knew what was in the box.

  It was Grandma’s special and

  definitely NOT ordinary mirror.

  Kids learn a lot from songs. Here’s

  a little treat they’re sure to enjoy.

  The Magic Mirror Message song,

  sung to the tune of Twinkle,

  Twinkle Little Star:

  Precious me, I’m made of love,

  Sparkling like the stars above,

  Smart and clever, brave and strong,

  Bright and beautiful all day long

  A shining star, that’s precious me,

  I love my life … and I love me

  Fun and kind in every way,

  I make a difference every day

  All I dream, will be achieved,

  When I practice and believe

  A shining star, that’s precious me;

  I am, I can, I believe!

  The Grandma Message

  Letter to Grownups

  Dear Grownup,

  (grandparent, parent, teacher, and role model)

  Though illustrated through a children’s story, this book was written for

  you. I have long been aware of the power of words to uplift or deflate,

  inspire or demoralize. Your words not only create your reality they shape

  the reality of the children and/or impressionable souls around you.

  On some level, words of encouragement and discouragement have molded your

  beliefs about life, about yourself and about what’s possible. Knowing this,

  I wondered, how can we help kids grow their confidence and belief in themselves?

  What came about is The Grandma Message practice. It is offered here as a strategy

  for intentionally instilling healthy, empowering beliefs in those you love and influence.

  The practice is simple. It’s all about telling the children in your world how amazing

  they are, that they are loved and cared for at all times, and they don’t have

  to do or be anything to earn your love. Tell them they have the power to be,

  do and have anything they want and all it takes is practice and believing. It

  also let’s them know that achievement usually requires effort. Conditioned

  belief in their own inner resources will support them throughout their lives.

  We throw words around carelessly and do much damage unwittingly.

  Use your words to encourage, uplift and inspire. Choose to give

  your amazing gift, the gift of kind, caring empowering words.

  Every day you can make your words count for good.

  You can make a meaningful difference for the children around you.

  Choose words of encouragement, consistently. Create immediate

  empowerment as well as long-term positive impact. But here’s the secret

  — because it is so easy to do it is even easier to NOT do — so, plan it,

  make it a daily habit, a priority, like bathing or brushing your teeth.

  It’ll be one of the most rewarding habits you’ve ever developed. It makes a

  great self affirmation too … here’s a Grandma Message especially for you:

  “You are smart and clever, brave and strong.

  You are amazing, gifted and complete.

  Today you can make a profound difference.

  You can BE and DO anything in the whole wide world.

  All it takes is practice and believing.

  I believe in you!

  I am! I can! I believe!”

  Having a strong, positive self-image is priceless, but its greater

  value shows up in the treatment of others. The better you feel

  about yourself, the better you treat those around you.

  Rowan and Sylvia were three and four when we started the daily phone

  calls that became The Grandma Messages. Making the calls became a

  habit. Some days the girls were cranky and didn’t want to talk, so I’d leave

  a voicemail message. They’d sometimes whine, “You always say the same

  thing, it’s boring.” Chuckling, I said, “I’ll always tell you how amazing you

  are and how much you’re loved.” What’s funny, though, is that the girls

  were quick to remind me if I forgot something they particularly liked. Rowan

  would say, “What about brave, Grandma? We’re really, really brave.” Sylvia

  loved ‘smart’ and ‘beautiful’ and made sure I always included that part.

  Within weeks, the girls started giving Grandma Messages to each other.

  Sylvia gave one to Rowan when she was crying and didn’t want to

  go to preschool, reminding her how brave and clever she is. Rowan

  gave several to Sylvia to keep her from quitting in her efforts to cross the

  monkey bars. “You’re strong, practice and believe,” she nudged.

  Their dad got his share of Grandma Messages too. Once he called home

  saying he’d be late due to a problem at work. The girls knew what to do.

  Daddy needed a Grandma Message. Stephen swears it did the trick.

  One morning, after a sleep over, Rowan asked to call her mom. Secretly

  dreading she was going to cry and ask to go home, I handed her the phone

  only to hear her say, “Hi, Mommy. You’re beautiful, brave and smart. You can

  do anything in the whole wide world. What do we say?” My heart melted, tears

  streamed down my cheeks; unprompted, a three-year-old was passing it on.

  Giving the messages was simple, easy and apparently contagious. I wished I had

  done this for my children. But wait, they’re still my children; I could still do it. So I

  called them. My husband was next. I called his cell phone and got voicemail.

  I left his Grandma Message anyway. Three weeks later it was still saved in

  his voicemail.

  Getting sincere words of love and encouragement for NO REASON seemed

  to appeal to everyone. Even impromptu messages to friends resulted

  in immediate replies of: you have no idea how much I needed this.

  A friend, concerned about her seven-year-old grandson whose parents were

  divorcing, needed a way to give him extra support. She started her practice; now

  they’re having a great time, enjoying the precious minutes shared each day.

  Can mere words help someone feel loved and special? Can your words

  help the people in your life see their value and worthiness? Can hearing

  your words of encouragement make a difference to someone you care

  about? If you believe they can, then join in
The Grandma Message project.

  Empower someone daily with the gift of your words of affirmation. Consider

  the ripple effect of these messages circulating throughout the world every

  day. If one life is inspired, you have changed the world for the better.

  Let’s ‘teach the children differently’.

  For more inspiration, go to

  www.emMatrix.com/giftforgrownups

  Grandma’s Magic Mirror

  First published in 2010 by Ecademy Press

  48 St Vincent Drive, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 5SJ

  [email protected] www.ecademy-press.com

  Printed and Bound by Lightning Source in the UK and USA

  Set by Anna Waddell

  Illustrated by Heather Horsley

  Printed on acid-free paper from managed forests.

  This book is printed on demand, so no copies will be remaindered or pulped.

  ISBN 978-1-908746-09-2

  The right of Deborah Battersby to be identified as the authors of this work has

  been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs

  and Patents Act 1988.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any material form