This past July, I had the opportunity to attend the Catholic teen conference Steubenville East. Now, please don't stop reading now because this article has nothing to do with religion, but one day we had a speaker, Megan Mastroianni and she said something that after all these months really stuck with me and I think about it every single day, "You are beautiful because you are loved."
Dear Future Mini Me,
You are beautiful because you are loved. When you look in that mirror you're going to see a lot of things you don't like. You're going to want to cut your hair or grow it out. You're going to want to be taller, shorter, have blue eyes, different color hair, have curly hair, not straight. You are gong to want to lose weight. Mini Me you are never going to be happy with yourself because society around you won't allow you to be enough.
Well Mini Me, I'm here to tell you that you are always enough. I will throw away every single scale in the house. I will cut every single tag out of all your clothes. I will smash every mirror we have. I will buy you hair die for your barbies. You are loved. Not because you are beautiful. You are beautiful because you are loved.
You will not have a goal weight. You will run, play, be an athlete, be an artist, be a singer, join the band, join the cheer team the debate team, dance, and love every single day.
Mini Me, every time someone makes you feel like you are less, that you are not good enough, not pretty enough, too skinny, too big, too tall, too strong you walk away you smile and you tell your self three things that you do well. If you find yourself unable to find those good things you call me and i will remind you of every single thing that is amazing about you. I will remind you that you are so very loved and that, that alone makes you beautiful.
I promise to remember what it was like to want blond curly hair instead of brown straight hair. I will remember what it was like to be called too skinny, too tall, not flexible enough, I will never think your problems are silly or less than my own. I promise to always listen and help.
Mini me, just promise me that you won't forget. Please don't forget.
You are beautiful, because you are loved.
