Who doesn’t want to feel beautiful?
Be loved?
Experience acceptance?
I do.
Who doesn’t want to look in the mirror, without loathing?
Without wrinkles frowning back from the glass,
but softness reflecting joy in an easy smile.
I do.
Who doesn’t want the assurance that though beauty fades,
the heart that beats within remains vibrant, unique, strong.
I do.
Beauty visits some, evades others, yet thrives where love lives.
Who doesn’t want love that permeates
makes alive,
burns real
not perfect, but with singed corners, tears and crags.
Do I?
Who doesn’t want to know that pain is not wasted?
His economy considers,
what many don’t see, ignore, avoid, shrink back from-
hidden from some but His eyes miss nothing.
Beyond the mirror,
beyond the scale, beyond the wounds
that scar, blind and bind.
Beyond the labels, lies I’ve lived,
beyond the limits of my mind.
I’m learning to love that little girl-
whose innocence was snatched away-betrayed.
I’m learning to love that young child
who ran away brazen and wild.
I’m learning to love that murderous girl,
who escaped it all in a dangerous swirl-
in the absence of real love.
I’m learning to love that mom
who doubts and fears,
and parents through tears.
I’m learning to love that woman inside
that I know within does reside.
I’m learning to see as He sees,
through eyes of grace,
starting with me,
and when I do, I see too,
that I have abundant grace for you.
Because He loves.
I do!
So Emily shared this amazing post (yawn, cause she doesn’t do this, like…every single week, right?) called A Women’s Manifesto and it really needs to be read by every woman. This means you. She also shared A Dare to Love Yourself themed Synchroblog – well here it is in her words since, after all it was her idea and she can tell it better than I:
*For the next few Mondays, I’m going to be doing a synchroblog (a link-up), leading up to the launch of my new book, Mom in the Mirror. (releasing Mother’s Day 2013).. we’ll be kicking it off NEXT Monday, February 25th, and the goal will be to link up a post related to learning to LOVE yourself... are you in?
It’s a dare, friends. It’s A DARE TO LOVE YOURSELF. Starting now.
Enthusiastically, Dawn 
Wow what a great post that encouraged me so much! I needed this!
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So inspirational!!!! Thank you 🙂
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This is lovely. Came across your blog from Facebook, and really, this post lifts me up. Thanks for sharing this.
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Hello Dawn! Glad to meet you here from Em's link up and yes…I do too. You are a beautiful sister and truly the most amazing beauty is the light I can now see since my eyes are more on Him than on me.
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I'm learning to see as He sees,through eyes of grace, starting with me,and when I do, I see too,that I have abundant grace for you.oh Dawn. this brought tears to my eyes. this is it. this is exactly it. and our daughters will see us showing grace towards ourselves, and they will want to, also. generations, feeding off grace… beautiful.
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Amazing my beautiful friend.
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Hi DawnWhat a heart-rendering post of beauty amongst terrible suffering. It is as if a butterfly is being formed in the seclusion of sorrow and pain, just waiting to be released when the metamorphosis is completed.Over via Emily's.Much loveMia
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Love your heart. You amazing woman, you!
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very beautiful, and i love how you used photographs to illustrate your poem… perfectly. visiting from miss e's. :)patty@findingserendipity.com
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