We’ve waited for years and years

For this day to finally come.

All the pain,

All the sorrow,

All the struggles…

It’s everything and everyone saying

You’re not good enough

Only because of your skin.

It’s all the comments,

All the racial slurs.

It makes you doubt your existence

On this beautiful planet.

Some days, you ask why?

Why is color important?

Why should I go through all this pain

Because of the pigment of my skin?

But know this, brown girl:

You’re beautiful.

God made you this way.

And never forget:

No matter what others think,

You’re worth it.

It’s waking up every morning

Just to see another day.

When someone did you wrong,

It’s loving you for you

And dismissing what others think.

It’s sometimes walking alone

And not associating with the devil.

It’s persevering through, night and day.

It’s persevering through, day and night.

It’s in the beauty of loving yourself

And dealing with difficult situations.

It’s a beautiful thing.

It’s letting go of the past

And embracing tomorrow.

It’s never too late to start over.

A new beginning awaits.

Life is a journey.

When seasons come to end,

The journey follows.

A journey has no timeframe;

It will come to an end.

And tomorrow,

A new one will begin!

You must let go.

It’s probably the hardest thing you do in your life

But first, you must take a deep breath

And release all of the

Pain,

Sorrow,

Hurt,

And betrayal,

Then look yourself in the mirror

And say:

I won!

Don’t ever let something so small

Hold you back in life.

It’s life.

We must all let go

For tomorrow brings sunshine.

It’s real.

It burns in your soul.

It stinks.

It hurts.

It comes back

Just when you think you healed from it

It comes back with revenge.

It reminds you of every memory

You want to forget about.

Now what?

The pain of tomorrow doesn’t define today.

I live through my pain of yesterday,

Because today’s a new day.

They are your number one supporter.

They support you more than your friends or family will.

They do not know your name,

But they’re right there cheering you on.

When you feel like you just want to stop,

Turn around and not finish,

They are there for you, saying:

You go girl!

You can do this!

It is support,

It is love,

It is hope

For tomorrow.

It’s the way you move through life.

It makes you unique,

It makes you who you are.

We all move differently in life

Don’t ever let the flow of others determine yours.

It’s you.

It’s the way you talk, walk and treat others.

It’s you.

It’s your soul and spirit,

It’s your dance,

Your hair,

Your laugh,

Your smile,

Your beauty.

It’s you…

Never forget it.

When it’s easy, I embrace it.

When it’s hard, I deny it.

Never embrace or deny who you are.

Every person on this earth has a mission.

Don’t deny who you are to please others

Or to qualify for something.

Convenience is a funny thing.

It’s not easy being you.

Be proud of your heritage.

It makes you, you.

Don’t accept it only when you are receiving something,

But every day, no matter what!

It’s not judged by society,

But within.

Society created the definition,

But why define it?

It’s something you just cannot see;

It’s skin deep.

Something deep down in your soul.

It happens within.

All the lies and betrayal,

Everyone who told you that you’d never be good enough

Or you’re not good enough to be on a cover—

You’re too dark,

You’re too fair

Your gap is too wide,

Your teeth are not straight…

But please know that you’re enough.

You’re beautiful

Just the way you are.

You’re beautiful,

For your heavenly Father

Created you this way.

It’s something you deserve

No matter what your class or ethnic group is,

Or whether you’re old or young,

Wealthy or poor.

Everyone deserves it.

Your mother even more;

She brought life into you.

Maybe life was as planned,

But she still deserves the respect.

How are you even going to respect her

When you can’t even respect yourself?

That’s the funny thing about respect…

Life can teach you this the hard way

Or through the easy route.

It’s up to you!