You is kind. You is smart. You is important.

Have you seen 'The Help'? My sister Mary bought it for me for Christmas and I could not tear my eyes away. I'm usually not a big fan of 'time' pieces and didn't think that this type of movie would draw me in but my goodness, it did. I found myself noticing, studying, analyzing a lot about how life was 'way back when' most especially what is was like to be a mama and was fascinated with how different (read backwards) things were. I sensed an extremely powerful underlying theme in this movie of the power that lies in CONFIDENT women and that theme played out in one African American maid and 'her' white little baby. Every morning, the maid would repeat to this little girl 'You is kind. You is smart. You is important' and little Annabelle would repeat it back, right along with her. Now, I've read lots of books and I've seen lots of girly movies and I've always loved when a daughter remembers a line her mama used to say...a phrase or a mantra that really stuck with her and spoke to her subconscious when she didn't expect it. A line that adds to her confidence...that boosts her self-esteem. A line that adds to her belief that no matter where life takes her, her mama is always with her and I really enjoyed seeing this play out in 'The Help'. Isn't it every mama's hope for her daughter, that she has the confidence, the self-worth, to believe that she can do anything that she sets her mind to. It starts with walking doesn't it? The first steps of independence quite literally and the actuality that life is possible to be explored and navigated without your mama. It begins with the confidence that you can STAND! But where does that confidence come from? I like to believe that hearing someone tell you every single day that you are SMART, that you are KIND and that you are IMPORTANT is an exceptional way to build confidence in a growing girl...a confidence to FLY through life and to do it the right way. It's been heavy on my mind as I watch my Sophia grow. I see an innocence that is so carefree and SO confident. There are so few insecurities in this stage of my my bold and daring independent girl and I love celebrating that. It's the bright side to the big girl's stubborn streak. It's the lovely silver lining to her hard head, I want what I want when I want it self. I want to be one of those moms that says something important and special to my girls every day, something that I can repeat and emphasize...so that when they keep growing and hit things in life that have them shakin' in their boots, they can hear me and know that I believe in them and to trust just how smart they are. It's how I channel my greatest strength. I like to be that way myself. When things get tough and I need to hear my best friends, I do. I hear them all in my head because they've cared enough to take the time to give me a boost of confidence. And with confidence, you can do so much. You'll understand that trying and failing is better than not trying at all. You won't need to feel pressured to do something you don't want to do because you're confident in your values and most importantly not worried about what others will think of you. You will stand up and be KIND even when it's not easy or maybe even not cool. You'll believe that no matter what life throws at you, you have the strength and the ability to persevere...to push forward. It's a beautiful thing confidence is. And it makes even the most beautiful of girls extraordinary.

I cling to quotes, to sayings, to anything that shakes me to my core...makes me feel deeply. Because I love to feel deeply...even if it's painful because for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction and for every ounce of pain there is an ounce of joy. And by God does my ounce of JOY outweigh my ounce of pain. My goal in the new year is to pick out, sift through and write about the values in life that I find MOST important...the values and principles of life that I want my girls to remember when the going gets tough. I wish I could promise that for them, the going will never get too tough but that's not life is it? No matter how hard I try. The best I can do is to give them the tools they need to have a deep rooted confidence in their ability to live well. Maybe I need a little mantra. Scratch that. I definitely need a little mantra for my beauties. Something I can repeat to myself and them every day. It'll connect us forever, near or far and I like that. I really like that.