Don't fall out of your chair, I know it's Saturday. I just need to share this with you. Right. Now.
For the month of November, I'm participating in #EncourageBeauty - the collaborative effort of Hilary Rushford of Dean Street Society and Ana of In Honor of Design.
#EcourageBeauty is a celebration of your own beauty and a way to use your words and your actions to lift up others. The driving force behind it is the idea that:
"You have the power to make people around you, friends or strangers, feel more beautiful for who they are both on the outside and the inside, with your words."
This morning, I woke up to my first official hate mail. And while I dusted it off and took to facebook with this comment:
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It got me thinking.
I am a confident 31-year-old wife and mother of two. I'm happy in my marriage, my career, my family. I truly believe that I am beautiful in my imperfections. I know I am a good person. I know I am loved. But what about the women out there with different circumstances? The wife who just found out her husband has been cheating? The college girl battling an eating disorder? The woman who put on fifty pounds while her sick child was in the hospital? What if someone says/writes hateful words to her? She is already on the edge, already doubting, already struggling with her self image, marital issues, illness, stress, heartache etc. What would those unkind words to do her? They would rock her whole world.
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting hard battle."
Will you join me? Let's #encouragebeauty together. Let's be a force for good.
Today's prompt is "Email with Love." Please feel free to use the image below (it's mine) and e-mail it to a friend who needs to hear these three powerful words today:
You are.
Know it. Own it. Believe it.
Then share the love.
#EcourageBeauty
xoxo
Jenny
PS- Watch this. It's Christian singer Johnny Diaz's "Beautiful You" video from 2009. Relevant no matter what your faith is:
Wonderful post and delightful words to hear. I'm emailing the image to myself. I'm the one who most needs to hear it. Now I have to believe it! Thank you for your words of inspiration.
ReplyDeleteBarbara @ www.allmylivesnow.com
So glad! Tape it to your mirror you beautiful lady, you! ;)
DeleteGirl, I love the way that you turned a negative into a positive:) I honestly believe that people who call others names or feel like they need to put others down is truly to make themselves feel better about their own flaws/imperfections. It is so sad to me that people need to put others down in order to feel good about themselves...how sad & lonely their lives must be.
ReplyDeleteFunny story on this...I have been teaching the above concept to my son in response to some bullying on the bus & he took it to heart. About 2 days later, he came home from school & told me that the kid on the bus was no longer bothering him. I told him that was great & asked him what changed to make the boy leave him alone. He just looked at me & said "well Mom, I told him that I felt bad for him that he was so unhappy with himself that he felt that he had to say mean things to me to make himself feel better & the boy had no response". Apparently Connor said the kid hasn't even looked at him since! HA! That is my boy:)
Jenny, you are a beautiful person inside & out & I love that you can take this stupid person's negative comment & spin it into something positive!
Thanks lady! Oh my gosh! Thank you for sharing this story and kudos to Connor - you are doing a great job mama! xoxo
DeleteSo cool to see how you turned that around and kicked it into oblivion;) Love your spirit. Thanks for sharing this and beng a part of the campaign. You are an example of why it is so encouraging for me! x
ReplyDeleteThank you Anna! Love the driving force behind this campaign - thank you for putting it together - it came at the perfect time for me! xoxo
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