Beautiful Sister

Dear Beautiful Black Sister,

I see you and I hear you. Your silence speaks louder than any words you could mutter. You are valued. You are appreciated. You are worthy. You matter and your hard work and dedication has not gone unnoticed.. I am pinning this letter for you to let you know that you have been validated. Your feelings are valid and so are your concerns . I want to take this Women’s History month to recognize you for being authentically you.

I want to go as far back as your childhood.I am amazed at your triumph. I can only imagine being one of ten children and always feeling alone. Despite the constant hustle and bustle around you, you always felt isolated. Having to give of yourself or go without unselfishly so that the younger ones could experience joy must have been exhausting. Having to suppress your inner desires and thoughts to appease others so they could shine must have been a tough pill to swallow. But despite it all, you have become a strong, black, beautiful, educated entrepreneur. This global pandemic did not leave you defeated and feeling denied, but yet it forced you to examine the inner most parts of yourself and channel what has always resided within. I am so very proud of who you have become.

As far as I can remember you have been nurturing and giving. It started with your responsibilities that you so graciously accepted at the age of 11 to take care of 5 younger siblings so that your single mother could put a roof over your head, clothes on your back, and food in your bellies. You accepted the role unapologetically and never faltered in your task. These motherly traits and maturity were later transferred to your own kids. Though no one acknowledged it, we saw you. We saw you going to school and handling your duties gracefully. We saw you throw everything you had into raising the best kids possible. We also saw your struggles. We didn’t miss the single parent lifestyle that you were forced to navigate. We don’t miss the school events, meetings, counseling, and much more that you attended solo. We also didn’t miss the way you made a dollar out of fifteen cents. Through it all, you still gave of your time, talents and treasures to others. Your selflessness was inspiring. You cared for other family members kids like they were your own. You took them in and divided your meager earnings between you all, and you did it without hesitation. I recalled all of this to say that you are a phenomenal woman. Phenomenal woman that’s you.

Furthermore, you are a fearless educator. You give of yourself fully in the bettering of the lives of children. So while you run your own business, you work full time to make sure those coming behind you know their limitless possibilities. You truly believe all children can and will learn and if you nurture their gifts, they will excel.

Despite inconsistent sales, this CEO is not giving up. You’re marketing, attending webinars, and making plans to enroll in business classes to grow your company. You are unstoppable and J can’t wait to see how you’re blessed in the future. You are truly grown and growing. Keep shining. Keep blessing. Keep pushing.

I’ll close this letter by thanking you for never giving up. Thank you for pushing past your insecurities, doubt, trauma, and pain to allow yourself time to blossom. You are resilient. You are determined. You are unwavering. You are loyal. You are unapologetically dope. Lastly, you are me!!

Love,

A Healed Woman