Do not believe for one second that you cannot make a difference.
Do not shrink or cower in the face of adversity, ugliness, grifters, liars, abusers and rednecks.
Evil does not dwell in the homes of well-meaning, hard working, honest folk.
It hides inside the vaults of secrecy, power, greed and shame.
Concrete walls smeared in blood and envy.
Integrity still means something.
Morality still means something.
Patience and understanding still mean something.
Love means something.
Love means everything.
We must find our way back to each other; respect, empathy and honor.
I am a woman who will fight voraciously for her sisters (and brothers), who have endured unimaginable tragedy.
I am the reluctant feminist who chooses to believe that some men are good.
And in fact, some men are very good.
Lest we forget all the honorable fathers and brothers and boyfriends.
Seek them out.
Stand together before it’s too late and we’re ashes of hate, obliterated by the demons of monsters and a damned society.
Innocents devoured by ugliness and scars too horrific to recount.
Your body is not currency, it houses your soul.
If you see someone suffering an injustice, it is your duty and obligation to speak out.
This girl intends to forgive all the horrible things from her past and forge ahead.
Lighter than yesterday, and more determined.
This woman, this adult, this reluctant feminist revels in the femininity she has earned and wears proud.
This lady intends to leave the world a more beautiful, kind and safer place for all the daughters (and sons), who’ve yet to come.
A sacred space.
Your precious life is yours, and one sordid chapter is not the whole story.
You’re not finished.
So live it, leading with love.
Make sure you let it lift you up higher than fear and rage, carrying your burdens and strengths along the way.