My Marques

Once upon a time a beautiful baby Princess was born to two loving parents. They were so excited to have her in their family. She grew up surrounded by Princes and Princesses who loved to play and have fun. It was a happy childhood. The Princess loved her family, but sometimes found herself lost amongst all the royalty. She needed special people, called Marques, in her life to help her grow and become the Queen she was meant to be.


The Princess was 12 when she met her first Marque. The Princess was gawky to say the least. She was just starting to realize she was an individual who was made up of more than her immediate family. This Marque came in the form of a teacher. This teacher singled her out and for the first time made her feel special. For if you are royalty among royalty, there is no special. The teacher taught the Princess how to look up to others, follow good examples and make those around you feel special.

The Princess started to learn about herself, but was still a teenager when Marque 2 came into her life. This Marque came in the form of a teacher as well, but almost immediately became a friend. This Marque taught the Princess confidence in her abilities, in her talents. The Princess was starting to find her place in the kingdom.

A few years went by and the Princess became an adult. There were still several years to go before she would be a Queen and she knew she still had much to learn, so she was not surprised when Marque 3 came into her life. The Princess had decided to get a job out in the kingdom, to mingle with the common folk and earn a living. Marque 3 came in the form of her boss and mentor. This Marque taught the Princess to believe a leader was inside her. The Princess had doubted this ability for several years. She did not know if she would be able to be a good Queen. Marque 3 assured her the leader would emerge if she worked at it and believed in herself.

The Princess went on in life, taking what she had learned so far and applying it to better herself and the kingdom. But, the Princess did not know about love. Marque 4 entered her life to teach her about how to love another. Marque 4 was in the form of a boy. Marque 4 taught the Princess how to make others laugh. He taught her how to captivate another person for hours and to dream of something more. Marque 4 taught the Princess how to love, from deep inside, another person. After he had left, Marque 4 taught the Princess how to mend a broken heart.

The Princess was pretty independent by this time, but she was still filled with flaws. Flaws that seemed blaringly obvious to everyone or so she thought. She felt ugly almost all of the time. She was a leader, was confident in her abilities, had learned to love another, but still did not love herself. Marque 5 entered her life like a storm filled with thunder and lightning. It was beautiful at the same time it was terrible. A double-edged sword. Marque 5 taught the Princess how to swim after he tried to drown her. He taught her how to survive when all seemed lost. But Marque 5 also taught her that she was beautiful in another’s eyes. After he left, she started to believe it. And from the ashes of the lightning, beauty emerged and the Princess began to love herself for the first time.

Marque 6 crept into the Princess’ life quietly. Still reeling from the devastation Marque 5 had brought into her life, she did not recognize Marque 6 right away. Marque 6 had a gift of making others laugh and letting them feel at ease. The Princess needed this right now. She needed to laugh and start to enjoy her new life. The Princess talked about life with Marque 6 and Marque 6 would make a fart joke, teaching the Princess life was not to be taken too seriously. Marque 6 taught her how to be herself in front of another. He taught her how to be a partner, how to rely on another and know they would hold up their end of the bargain. Marque 6 taught the Princess what to look for in a partner when she would become a Queen.

Having met all of these Marques, the Princess feels ready to take the leap to create her own kingdom. She feels special and knows how to make others feel special. She is confident in her talents and abilities. She is the leader that was foreseen. She can love with all her heart and survive if her Prince turns out to be a frog. She is beautiful and loves herself. She knows life will throw her curveballs, but to laugh at it. She knows to be herself and if someone doesn’t like that, they aren’t worthy of her kingdom. She knows how to be a partner and what to look for when she meets her Prince.

I woke up from a nap thinking about my life and all that has lead to the decisions I'm making today. These are six people who have made a mark on my life that is forever there. These are six individuals that helped to shape the person that I am today in very, well, marked ways. Hence the term, Marque :). I love and have loved them all, yes, even Marque 5.