As you can see from these photos "I'm gettin my life together now" #JenniferHudson Dream Girls Voice lol When I put down my fear, my hurt, my frustration, and my self-doubt, replacing self-destruction with #SelfLove things inside changed for me. My smile came back. Not the one I painted on for friends and family so that I wouldn't have to delve into the "why" that many times I couldn't really explain but, the smile that started in my heart working its way up through my spirit and planted itself firmly on my face. I still have issues with my health. I still have more weight than I once held. I still struggle to articulate my needs and indulge in my wants. Basically, I STILL... But, with each of those comes a sense of calm that resonates in my entire being because I am now armed with the knowledge that no matter what I can CHOOSE to be okay. I now take time to just show gratitude for the positives in my life acknowledging that without the woman I was in each stage that I've shared with you I couldn't be the woman I am today. I had to know HURT to appreciate JOY. I had to move through DOUBT to embrace SELF-ASSURANCE. I had to fall into DARKNESS to truly fight to live in the LIGHT! It takes work. Everyday kind of work but, it's so worth it to look in the mirror at this body and feel acceptance. Alan Cohen said ,"To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven. Don't wait until you die. If you wait, you die now. If you love, you live now." That speaks to my soul because only in learning to love myself, today, as I am have I gained true bliss and that is worth every dark chapter in the story I now know is still be written... #shesharestruth #trustyourpath #createthelifeyouwant #manifestyourlife #liveintentionally #inspirehealth #blackwomenshealth #blackwomenblog #mentalhealthblogger #blackwomenwriters #trusttheprocess #blackwomenslife #womenslife #wordsarepower #selflove #bodypositivity #contentcreator #womensempowerment #loveyourself #author https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz6ENwgJG7H/?igshid=1p3zdxobluuyg