You can order this story-journal book @$15 plus $3 shipping. Email sara@thedailylily.com for more info.
We would like to invite you to share your Doll Story here with us.
Consider the lilies of the field… Matt 6:28
Consider the lilies of the field… Matt 6:28
You can order this story-journal book @$15 plus $3 shipping. Email sara@thedailylily.com for more info.
We would like to invite you to share your Doll Story here with us.
thedailylily.com 
After reading the precious Doll book some memories came forth that I had forgotten.
When I was little I lived in a farm house that had a curved enclosed staircase to the upper bedrooms. There was a door at the bottom which my mother could lock. One Christmas Santa gave me a doll, but unlike my sister’s it could not be bathed, washed, or fed with a bottle. I was sad as my cousin and sister could wash and give their dolls a bath. I threw the doll down the stairs. The doll was not hurt.
Later I got another doll which also could not be bathed, washed, or fed. She was a chattie Cathy doll. She was made of hard plastic with legs that could bind and she could cry. I had matured somewhat and loved the uncuddlible doll. My mother continued after I left home to make the doll clothes and place her by the fireplace. Each year my Father at Christmas would take the doll and place her under the Christmas Tree as a reminder of a time that was. As time went by Dad died and went to heaven and I got my doll back. I now can place the doll under my Christmas tree and remember the time Dad placed it under the tree to think of me – now I think of him.
Rena, aka, rko…love, love, love your Doll Story. What is chattie’s name?
Sara!! Thanks so much for the beautiful book. It was well written, beautifully illustrated and a treasure to me.
Many women can identify with the story. I sure can. Mothers can so easily make the same mistake, never realizing the depth of your love for “the doll inside YOU”! I’m afraid I have done such. I was such a doll lover, and so was both my darling daughters. I remember when, Lydia, at age 2, lost her special doll she called Daisy, because when she dropped her, I would say, “upsee daisy”. It was a Madam Alexandra doll. We looked all over including the neighbors houses…no Daisy. She cried many hours for Daisy. Next day, I went to the toy store and bought another (exact) doll, proudly brought it home, presented it to Lydia who looked at me as if I had lost my mind…she never touched the new Daisy. Many months later looking in a cabinet rarely used…there sat Daisy. Lydia rejected that Daisy too. Wonder why?
Ms lily, I love your Daisy story. I am still pondering why Lydia was not happy with the finding of
Daisy.
Thanks for sharing your Daisy story, Ms Lillian. I’m with you and Sara….wonder why Lydia rejected Daisy, when she was found?
This amazing doll story-book of ‘nostalgia’, as it is described on the back cover, has rekindled many memories and experiences hidden in the far reaches of the readers’ minds. That’s where old but valued treasures are usually stored away until, by serendipity or a godly stirring they come rushing forward to be revealed and shared and reevaluated in relationship to one’s life.
As many times as I read this Doll Book, it seems that I cry in a different place, each time. The artwork is precious and interwoven with the story making a lovely tapestry.
Congratulations to the author and the painter of this book. Many more lovely things are bound to come forth from from the telling of this story.
Thank you, MG…
“Dolls…Dolls…Dolls”. As a child I recall having four dolls: a tall, mature-looking blonde bride doll which came in a white wedding gown and veil; a Shirley Temple doll; a small, porcelain blonde haired Madame Alexander doll and a blonde Barbie doll. They were all lovely and given as either a Christmas or birthday gift. What I enjoyed about them was their interesting beauty and clothes (which occasionally I liked to change) and function. I regarded them as ‘display items’ and I much preferred to spend hours designing and ‘constructing’ their houses, settings and furniture from my cardboard boxes and ‘trinkets’ which I then placed them in. If my mother had allowed it, I probably would have had them placed outside where I loved to dig in the dirt little ‘landscapes’ with roads and tunnels, mounds and plants. So, when I received a gift one Christmas that I had really wanted, an Erector Set, was I thrilled! Now I could design and build with ‘real’ structural parts. This may not have been a typical little girl gift that parents were giving in those days, but looking back, I am grateful that my mother responded to this desire within me. To this day, I still enjoy digging in the dirt and creating settings with plants and objects that real dolls can live in and enjoy.
Many, many thanks to Sara for “The Doll Within Me”. The depth and beauty of the words and illustrations is an invaluable gift.
Whoa Debi, nice to see your Mom knew and understood your needs. And, you are still living up to your love of outdoors, dirt and all. 🙂
I can remember a doll I had, actually it was a “clown doll”. He had a plastic/rubber- like head, but soft arms, legs, and body. I carried him around and dressed him up in real baby clothes. I even put baby shoes on him..(I believe were mine, as a baby?) and called him “baby shoes two”. I don’t know why I gave him that name, but I sure liked him, even with his ugly clown face, and bald head. I’m sure I had other dolls, but he seemed to be my favorite, I suppose?
Thank you, Sara and Dawn for all your hard work, in putting this book together. 🙂
Tammy, “clown doll” and named; “baby shoes two.” Do you still have him? I love how you loved the him and the two and God gave you “him twins.” God can sure make us laugh and full of joy!
No, Sara, I don’t have my clown doll, but he may be up in the attic, at my parent’s house? Yes, God blessed me with twin boys, He “can sure make us laugh and full of joy!”
Another Beautiful Story as told to me by Rena Sexton, Creswell, NC…”Sara, I am so very proud of you and what you are accomplishing. Thanks for the book, I have read it about 3 times already. My parents had and raised 10 children. I was the fourth one. Christmas at our house was different than today. On Christmas Eve, we would search for the largest shoe box and put it under the tree. The next morning, we rushed to the tree to find our box. It would contain fruits and nuts. We, joyfully would sit there by the tree counting our items in the box. We were so excited and very content with that fruit and those nuts. I never received a doll during my years as a child. Ten years ago, when we were blessed with a granddaughter, I began enjoying dolls with her. I love dolls and sometimes I almost battle within myself to not purchase one just for me. My parents gave us love and what they could afford, and Christmas was still wonderful at our house. We always looked forward to it. God blessed me with special loving parents, and I still thank God for having them, even without the precious dolls. Who knows, I might just go out one day and buy myself that special little doll.” Rena Sexton
“It would contain fruits and nuts. We, joyfully would sit there by the tree counting our items in the box. We were so excited and very content with that fruit and those nuts.” “Christmas was still wonderful at our house. We always looked forward to it.”
Thanks, for sharing your story, Rena Sexton, it touches my heart.
Sara, your doll book might have opened a can of worms for some of us. I have tried to remember the dolls in my life. When I was about four or five (?) years old I received a gift [I am sure it had belonged to Aunt Mimi who had wonderful, amazing trinkets and delightful things in her life]. The doll had long, long legs made of soft fabric..but her arms and face were beautiful, maybe glass or porcelain. Evidently, being the chubby little brat that I was at that time [until now 🙂 ] I did not like her. It might have been because of the long fabric legs that I did not, in all my five year old wisdom, think were legitimate legs for a doll. The one scene I remember is walking down the stairs at either my Grandmother’s house or our new house…..with the doll’s legs over my 5 year old shoulders while her lovely face bumped, bumped, bumped down the hardwood steps. And now I cry.
It would take many years and the love of Jesus Christ for HIM to bring that selfish, egotistical little girl into a life of thanksgiving and gratitude.
But my doll story has a happy ending, too, because of the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. I believe He is shaping this “doll” into His image to be His very own dolly, too….like one of the ones Sara has in her “colletction”.
MG, Thanksgiving and gratitude is a big payout for harnessed selfishness don’t you think?
Yes, Sara! It’s taken a long time, but now…. Eternal gratitude and Thanksgiving as I, hopefully, enter into His rest. And for All the Dolls who love Him. Amen
Isn’t the Doll Book a marvelous revelation??Thanks Sara!!!
It’s been so great reading everyone’s doll stories above…thanks for inviting all to share, Sara!
It is a joyful feeling as I prepare to give THE DOLL WITHIN ME to several of my friends in the next few days. It will be a treat for me to see their smiling faces and to hear the reports of how this true story has touched their hearts.
Thanks again, Sara, for a delightful but intricate look at your heart and releasing a pattern by which we may look at our own.
MG, hope you and your friends share their comments and story here with us as they read and write in their journals. Hey, tell them this is a perfect place to share their summer readings. Great place for a summer book club to share thoughts, ideas, etc. on books they are enjoying this summer. Teachers and staff enjoy your summer! Because it always seems like a wink and its back to school.
you got that right, Sara, concerning how quickly the summer turnaround back to school comes upon us.
But I have noticed concerning THE DOLL WITHIN ME , how many who see the book equate themselves with something on the page or with one of the pictures. That’s a good thing! Relational identification with the story helps one to receive the healing message of the book. Good job.
Sometimes I think that the doll within when we are young does not match up with the doll/woman that God has created us to be. Our character tends to align with the world and influences around us until God gets a hold of us and step upon step as we walk on his path our character begins to align with what God had intended all along.
I really understand your thoughts, Rena….I keep rewriting my story.
This is really my story or my journey. When I was growing up I imagined that that would go to school and get a degree in nursing and be able to help people and marry a nice young man and have two children. We would love the Lord and live in a nice little house with beautiful garden, and everything would be good. In my dreams I always saw two boys. That was the beautiful doll or life I wanted to live.
As I grew up I found that nursing was not whom I was cut out to me (couldn’t stand blood and wept terribly when someone was hurt and begged God for healing for them – prayer warrior but not nurse). I loved children and delighted in seeing them grow and learn in public schools and in Sunday School. When I went for nursing I just couldn’t make it academically. When I went to college for teaching it seemed to have a high interest to me and it came much easier. God had given me Reading Writing Workshop which wasn’t taught in college then, which was from Him and came eas y to me and it was pure JOY to work with students and see them grow as writers. My husband’s career took off and before you know it he was a busy as could be flying here and there and everywhere. We did not have much time and before you know it we were walking two different paths. His took him down one and mine another. Before I knew it the boys were now men and we as a couple were no more, facing divorce and obtainingg a divorce. The beautiful doll scenario for my life that I had when I was young came crashing down and now I found myself at the feet of Jesus begging for HIM to help put me back together again. My friend the writer of the book, THE DOLL WITHIN helped me on the road to put the real doll within back together is the author of this book. She helped me see God’s scripture as nuggets to health – mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. God became so real in my life that I would not take a step without him. I hope as I continue and finish this journey I will never stop loving my Savior. He knows us SO SO well and wants to help us.
Gods mends are much better than most of our whole thoughts! He is truly a healer that gives purpose to our wayward dreams! Great testimony Rena! I pray that all dolls that are broken, cracked or damaged in anyway may read, hear and experience your testimony will receive their mend.
There were a lot of losses when the beautiful doll crumbled, but the gains from God’s unfailing love far outweighed the losses and crumbling of the doll that never could be being replaced with the doll that God wanted for my life. You may grieve for the life that didn’t happen and was so full of pain but rejoice in the life God has given you to live out today and tomorrow.
Rena, your story is encouraging to read because you see how authentic it is and how God is interested in bringing the real ‘you’ out.