A letter that could be given to any female friend...

I just wanted you to know I’ve been thinking about you. My heart just aches for you. I wish that I could just swoop in and fix it. I wish I could make you see what an amazing and beautiful woman you are and that you don’t need a man to affirm that for you. I wish I could make you stand up tall and proud and show the world that you know your value.

You’re an amazing person and it frustrates me that you can’t see it. I’m hurt for you and want you to know what you’re worth.  As women, if we spend our lives waiting on some man to make us feel like we want to feel, we will always find ourselves coming up short and being disappointed.

If you want to feel good about who you are then you’re the one with the power to make that happen. And, as long as you’re not feeling good about what you’re doing then you’re not going to feel good about who you are.

Whatever you do, don’t apologize for sharing with me. As your friend it’s my job to be there for you and help you carry whatever burdens you. However, as your friend, it’s also my job to tell you what I think. I hope you will always feel like you can come to me…especially when you feel like you can’t go anywhere else.

 I want so much for you to realize what you’re worth and to be able to be proud of it. I want you to be able to look at yourself and say, “I am smart. I am beautiful. I am worthy of love.” No man on earth, no matter how much you want to believe otherwise, will ever be able to convince you of that until you believe it yourself.

For all my physical flaws, I get up in the morning and fix my face and my hair and then look in the mirror and think, “Wow, I am pretty.” Then, I realize that it’s not something coming from my outer reflection. It’s coming from the inside – the part of me that I know is smart, talented, honest, a good mother, a good wife, etc. Those are the things that make me desirable.  It’s something that no amount of makeup or nice clothes or the perfect haircut or some man can ever give me. It’s something I give to myself. It’s my gift to me.

I love you. Keep me informed. Let me know when you’re not feeling OK or you need a hug and a lap. And, stop kicking yourself. When you do you’ll find that other people won’t feel the need to kick you either.