Thirteen years ago a father bought a Raggedy Ann doll for his daughter. The little girl will teach Raggedy Ann and carry her everywhere, colored on her face, and slept with her. They were inseparable, the little girl loved the doll and the doll loved the little girl.
As time passed, the doll absorbed the little girl 's actions and feelings. The way the little girl hugged Raggedy Ann as she slept with her taught the doll love. The way the little girl colored on Raggedy Ann 's face countless times taught her creativity. When the little girl ran outside discovering new places, Ragged Ann learnt of adventure. The doll was soon filled with attributes given to her by the little girl. But the most recognizable was the joy and effort the little
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Days turned into years and Ann watched as the girl grew. Ann saw how she came home from school and rush out again to service her community and make it a better place. She noted the girl 's successes and failures and even her most ordinary days had something special to them. With each passing day in the girl 's life continued to foster new attributes being born inside the doll. But these familiar feelings always came up, heartwarming, compassion and effort filled. Ann saw this from every ant the girl brought back outside of the house, to the support and care she gave her sickly mother. These actions mirrored how the girl once comforted Ann, and Ann is again longing for the girl 's …show more content…
Now the little girl has grown up, seventeen years old, college and the next page of her life beckons, she deliberates the question, "What do you want to do with your life?" She walks up to her room with arms crossed, head tilted and sits on her bed. The young woman looks up to her highest shelf at a space occupied by a familiar face. Her matured hand reaches for the doll she once spent much time with. Her gaze was then drawn to another corner of her room to an empty case of a praying mantis she once kept. As she cradles the doll and looks at the empty case the girl is reminded of her childhood; the overriding joy she felt from caring for the doll and the profound humanity she had for the lives of ants and a praying mantis. The girl smiles and says to herself, "Medicine and service, I know what I want to do with my