Dear Sweet Innocent Rhonda,

I honestly don’t know what you are feeling right now or what you have experienced in your childhood.  I have no memory of those years, I just know it wasn’t easy, you suffered quite a bit and I just hope you are now happy and enjoying a carefree life.

You are going to have to deal with a lot of emotions, good, bad and ugly.  DON’T avoid them, let them come, sit with them and let go of all the emotions that don’t serve you well.  But please truly enjoy the good emotions and experiences.  Savor them. DON’T let the negative ones control you…LET THEM GO, they serve you no purpose and will only rob you of so many happy times.

Use your voice, DO NOT be afraid to express yourself and be sure to set boundaries, this is very important.  DO NOT let others words and actions wound you, you are NOT the problem, people often take their issues out on others.  DO NOT judge yourself.  You ARE worthy.  You are so sweet and innocent.  You are deserving of the very best in life.

Try to socialize more, make connections so you have some good, long-lasting friendships. Having friends to lean on, to laugh with and have fun will be so beneficial.  You will be hurt, love will come and go, try to be easy on yourself and appreciate each experience and relationship.

Again, use your voice.  DO NOT let others dismiss you or your feelings. You deserve to been seen, heard and respected.  You matter.  If they don’t respect you and your boundaries, know when to walk away.  Even when relationships don’t work, know that you are deserving and worthy of love.

Learning to love yourself is going to be the biggest challenge of all.  PLEASE, PLEASE make yourself a priority.  Self-care is a must; it’s not being selfish.  There will be a lot of challenges, but remember you are stronger and more resilient than you think.  Give yourself the credit you deserve.  There will be times when you are so down and sad that you will feel you will never be happy.  Please do NOT dwell on those feeling, things will get better.

Remember to nourish your mind, body and soul.  Enjoy food, the taste, smell, texture, etc., food is NOT your enemy.  Remember that it is nourishing your body, giving it the nutrients it needs to function.  Your body is a temple what will give you two amazing boys, who will bring you so much love and  joy, you will experience a special kind of love when you become a Mom.

Try to focus on the positives, not the negatives, even though there may seem to be more negatives.  We can’t control others; we can only control ourselves and our reactions to situations.

Spend time to really think about what makes YOU happy, what brings YOU joy, what do YOU want to do with your life and your career.  Go with what you truly desire, don’t doubt yourself and second guess your decisions, go for what you love and brings you passion.  DO NOT SETTLE!

I can’t stress it enough that you are an amazing, kind, loving person.  DO NOT let others words and actions doubt yourself and keep you from truly living and experiencing the joys of life.

Love yourself for who you are, whatever traumas you suffered, DO NOT LET THEM DEFINE YOU!

YOU ARE WORTHY, YOU ARE DESERVING, YOU ARE ENOUGH!!