#BrookeUnbroken

Because today I was awaken by the tears flowing down my cheeks...I need a reminder...and maybe you do to.  #FoolishGirl #semicolonproject  Foolish girl, You turn away from the world because you believe the mistakes you have made are tattooed all over your body and that is all the world can see; marks of shame you cannot wipe clean no matter how many years you scrub your skin until no more blood can seep from your pores still stained with filth and sin. You turn away from the world because you believe you are defined by your past, by the choices you made when there were no other choices; that you are bound to the girl you once were by the invisible ropes still tied around your hands and feet, held in place by words of shame that will never deliver you from their grasp. You turn away from the world because you believe you are not deserving to hold your head high and look it in the eye; that you carry a scarlet letter upon your forehead that will blind those who dare to look

Following in my footsteps, my daughter walked on her first pageant stage at the age of 18 months.  Pageantry is a tough "sport".  And yes...just like any other competitive arena...it is a "sport". It's an opinion of a group of people on that day, and could/would be different with another group of judges on another day.  It is what it is and we have learned that through the years. The most important thing is that we walk away with the life skills she is learning, the friends she is making, and the self confidence she is building that matters the most.  I use the term "we", because it's a learning experience for the both of us along the way. Mostly for her, but for me as well.  As she was practicing interview questions with some of the girls this past week during her most recent national pageant experience, I sat down the hall listening to them. She didn't know I could hear her.  One of them asked her who her most admired person was.  Jaiden