In Her Shoes - To the Girl in the MIrror

I want desperately to apologize to you. I haven't been very nice to you, and for that I am deeply sorry.

I have compared you to the reflections of others and believed that you were lacking. I have judged and criticized you - right to your face. Instead of finding something nice to say about you, I thought that I was being humble by looking for your faults.

I let you think that you would be good enough if only you lost a few more pounds. You were only a fragile teenager, hungry for nourishment and approval, and I withheld them from you. The lower the number on the scale read, the happier I thought that you would be - but I was so very wrong. I robbed you of your girlish joy.

I should have been a comfort instead of critical of you since you had your babies. Your body has given birth to three amazing little boys. When your clothes wouldn't fit, I should have told you to gaze at the beautiful little faces looking up at you and to realize how very blessed you are. You were busy being a good mommy, but I should have been taking better care of you.

I apologize to you, the Girl in the Mirror, for every hurtful thought, word, and action that I have given you over the years. I am so very sorry. I hope that you will forgive me, and be patient with me as I learn how to take better care of you. I can't erase the pain that I have caused you, but I can work at never causing that pain again.

I'm going to tell you something that I have never told you before, but I promise that it's true...

Your hands guide, comfort, and care for those around you. They are beautiful. Your eyes try to see the good in people and look for ways to encourage others - and they are beautiful.  Your heart has been broken, but you refused to let it break you. You chose the path of forgiveness and let your heart heal. You are turning your story into a way to inspire others, to let them know that they are not alone - and that is beautiful.

You are beautiful, Girl in the Mirror. You are uniquely and wonderfully beautiful. You are enough...just as you are.

Love,

Me

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Ginger Lobdell is a wife, mother, and storyteller for SheHopes. This blog post was originally published on justoneoftheboys.com.

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Every heart holds a story - and sometimes it is the deepest, darkest parts of our stories that can be used to bring HOPE to others. The IN HER SHOES series is dedicated to sharing these stories with each other. We would would be honored to share YOUR story. Contact us at Ginger@SheHopes.org for more information.