I have always been told "Big things come in small packages". I am not sure what people really meant by that? I was born on September 26, 1962 weighing in at a whopping 4-lbs. 2 ounces. I was told that when I was born, you could put my head in the palm of your hands and my body would fit on your arm. I was born six to eight weeks early, eager to arrive in this world, and to this day, I am early to everywhere I go (I wonder if there is a connection?). I was also born with a heart problem that required surgery when I was eight years old to reconstruct the main artery. Back in 1971 I was the second or third person to have this experimental surgery done, now I have a perfectly strong heart and I am a petite thirty seven year old woman who is only 4 ft. 10 inches tall.

Anyway, I grew up with two sisters that were always bigger than I was (and they still are). I have one younger sister name Cara, and one older sister name Jacquie, and of course I was always mistaken for being the youngest. I constantly had to remind everyone that I was not the baby, I was the middle child. I also had to endure being called "Shortie", "Shortcake", "Little Bit", "Wiener" (my not so favorite), and Vienna Sausage. Sure, I might have been small for my age, but I was just as smart as anyone else and I hated being teased by other kids (including my own sisters). I felt that since it was not my fault that I was born small, it was not fair that other kids picked on me. I always felt sorry for other kids, who got picked on too, because I knew how they felt.

There is one thing that I learned as a child, God made me small so that I would be a compassionate person, to treat everyone with respect and to consider other people's feelings. Eventually I got use to being short and it doesn't bother me anymore when people make jokes or comments about being little.

Now that I am an adult, finding clothes is just as difficult as it was back when I was a baby. They did not make preemie clothes or diapers back then. Trying to find a size two dress and size four dress shoes now is a real chore; it's like trying to find a four leaf clover. Oh sure, I could shop in the children's section, however, the style of clothes and the plastic shoes are not exactly my taste. Just try finding a wedding dress or an elegant evening dress in a small size. When I ordered my wedding dress the smallest size they could order was a size five and that was still three sizes too big, Thank goodness for alterations!

I guess being short might have some advantages, like people thinking I am younger than what I actually am. Another advantage I can think of is; I can take a shower a lot quicker because there is less of me to wash! Also it's easier for me to clean the floors and the lower cupboards (forget the top ones!).

There are times where I wish I were just five inches taller, but as long as my family and friends accept me for who I am, then I am happy with myself and I accept the fact that God made me the way that I am. You know, I am actually grateful now that I am small, because I am more sensitive to other peoples feelings and I can truly empathize with the struggles they go through. Which by the way, makes me a good listener. So I guess when someone tells me "Big things come in small packages", what they really mean is; you may be small, but you have a big heart!

Colleen Duval 11/30/99

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