"I’m so proud that you are here today. Still standing. Still breathing. Still..."

Written by Dear Black Woman

Baby girl!

“I love you and I’m so proud of you. Continue taking those steps to free yourself from all the things that have bound you. Whether those steps are big or small, or no one else sees them at all. I see you! You’re so beautiful and so strong and I see you.”

I’m so proud that you are here today. Still standing. Still breathing. Still building momentum. Look at you. You truly are an unstoppable force. You’ve accomplished so much. Sounds corny, but all that has been really does only pale in comparison to what will be. Keep striving. But also keep in mind that NO amount of accomplishment will make you any more dope than you already are in this exact moment. 

Recently giving love beyond your capacity has hurt you… again. You’ve blamed yourself and you’ve tried to emulate the ability others seemingly have to disconnect, move forward, and not look back. But truthfully you’ve been so hard on yourself. It’s okay to live, to learn, to hurt, and to heal. You will do all of those again and again. Rest assured that you will absolutely find the balance between just saying “no” and not giving up the beautiful aspects of what makes you, YOU. It’s okay to do both without guilt. You don’t need to be more one way or more of the other. It’s okay to be a little more patient with yourself. Remember: “Always a work in progress. But always a masterpiece.” You are so beautifully sensitive, loving, and complex and you don’t have to have it all figured out by yesterday. I mean, girl, you have a lot going on, how could you expect to?! You have this way about you that brings out the best in other people, and in time, you can do the same for you. But don’t try to rush it. There’s no deadline. 

I love you and I’m so proud of you. Continue taking those steps to free yourself from all the things that have bound you. Whether those steps are big or small, or no one else sees them at all. I see you! You’re so beautiful and so strong and I see you. 

Love you!

-Me.