I am proud to say that I am only 13 days away from turning 48 years old. I must admit that I have gone through some life changes, and a lot of hell in my 40+ years. It never let up, the hell just changed faces and the names of which particular hell I was in at the time. I have probably experienced more in my life than the average person my age, because 99% of my problems didn’t hit me in my 40’s, they started in my 20’s. I was a bride and a mother at the age of 19, and I didn’t have a silver spoon in my mouth. In fact, at times I was dodging bricks from those who wanted to see me fail...and those close to my life wanting my marriage to fail. Thank God for my family and most of all God’s purpose for my life. He doesn’t change His mind about what He planned. I wasn’t always 100, nor did I know how to be, but the beauty in it all...I’m better because of it. My life is better because of it! What I do know now is that I am one hellava woman - if I have to say so myself. 😉 My curves, they are mine and I love them!! My light skin that I have always rejected and felt bad about - I embrace that too—it’s mine. God clothed me in it and darnit I’m going to wear it. My protruding butt that I can’t cover or hide, I wear it with pride. My thinner lips, it’s all good, and it doesn’t take away my melanin magic. I chose to wear my hair straight the majority of my adult life, because I can and I love it! I only wear curls now because I have taken a liking to it, and it saves me time and also saves my ends from the heat. That’s another choice that I had the privilege of making for ME. My big eyes that I was teased about and called Garfield...I’m good. I wouldn’t trade them!! I widen them, I squint them, I smize (ANTM Word) with them, and most of all my husband says they have the ability to speak the unspoken. In laymen’s terms, that means they are sexy.☺️ I am not a bold or braggadocious person, neither will I ever be; but I have learned that if I don’t stand, then I’ll stay knocked down and when you’re down you’re in a position to be kicked around. I have been betrayed, emotionally beat down and left for emotional death, but I’m here!! I made it! I’m here stronger than I’ve ever been. More confident than I’ve ever been in the skin that I’m in. I can be a mom of three, handle and mother children that are at all different levels of life, hold down a full time job, be a wife of an entrepreneur, ‘hit at’ entrepreneurship, go to school, attend meetings, organize and build a non-profit, shut the door behind those who walk out unannounced, fight off demons and STAND as a woman of God. Standing in Christ has allowed me to be all that I have named. I didn’t know how to do that before, but I know now. I don’t have a gym body, but it’s beautiful anyway!! have physical scars, emotional scars, weight gain, cancer diagnoses, doctor appointments, emotional pain, lied on, hurtful losses, been undermined, you name it...I’m here though! I have never been so daring before as I am today. Who I am has nothing to do with anyone. Your likes and dislikes don’t make or break me. If I can survive LOVE being taken away from me, then I can survive your likes not being there. Who I am has everything to do with the choices that I make and have made. Oh how I embrace that POWER! I Dare To Bare it All....because I AM that woman! I often say, I am too much woman for the average woman to understand; and too much woman for the average man to appreciate. Gold doesnt burn - neither do diamonds. Come on with me diamonds and gold women out there. Embrace Your Beauty! I Dare To Bare My Beauty. #d2byb For more posts and blogs like this one, www.thisisannlee.com and www.wivesoftheoromise.com (blogs)