This is a repeat blog that I posted last year.  Unfortunately, it was the one and only post of 2012.  Even thought we are almost half-way through 2013 (yikes!) I am renewing my blog and you will see more posts coming soon!  

For my first blog, it will be a little bit serious than one would expect.  But, after attending a meeting yesterday at Central High School I felt compelled to share.

Recently, I was asked to be a part of a community ‘advisory board’ for a new group that was started at Central High School, “Redefining Beautiful-Esteem Team.”  The goal of this group is to help young ladies understand the importance of a healthy self-esteem through programs and meetings.  Their first meeting brought approximately 150 to 170 students, so there was an obvious need for this type of group.  I am so thrilled to think that I might be able to offer some guidance to a young lady.

Yesterday, I attended my first meeting, their second, and the agenda was eating disorders.  The speaker had such an heartfelt story, bringing tears to everyone (yes, even me).  She spoke of the pain and self-hatred she had for herself and felt there was no one to turn to.  She never felt beautiful…yet this woman standing in front of us was gorgeous!  Fortunately, she has learned to love herself and has overcome this disorder.

On my way home, I thought about my own struggles in high school and it really brought back a lot of memories for me.  No, I didn’t have an eating disorder, but I did suffer from low self-esteem.  I did not come from a wealthy family and had NO named-brand clothing or shoes.  For me, my sneakers had four stripes, not three like Nike!  My mom spending $60 on my prom dress was HUGE!!!  I mean…that was a weeks worth of groceries!  I was aware of the differences in the way I dressed and the way the “popular” kids dressed, where the “popular” kids lived and where I lived, but I am not really sure that those things defined me.  I was still a happy kid with a great childhood!   However, I was skinny!  I guess crazy skinny!   Stick skinny!  I never really paid much attention to my skinny legs…until this day.   It was in woodshop class and I wore a dress, a brand new dress, and I felt like a million bucks going to school.  On this day, a group of kids totally made fun of my skinny legs in woodshop class.  While this was approximately 35 years ago, I can still see myself in that classroom, just standing there, not knowing what to say.  I was so embarrassed and humiliated!  I was suddenly aware of my long lanky stature and wasn’t seeing anything positive from it.   I mean I must have looked funny if people were laughing and making fun of me!   I let that moment define me and how I felt about myself.

Ahhh...look at those legs!!  LOL

We will all deal with self-esteem issues at some point in our lives, but please don’t let them define who you are!!  YOU know who you are, YOU know your heart and YOU know your soul.   Now, don’t get me wrong, I have come a long way since the high school days, but I too can let myself slip back into old insecurities.  You just have to get up, dust yourself off, and fight back to be the person you are and the person you want to be! 

I love photography!!!   I love being able to find the beauty within my subject and making it printable for everyone to see.  I had been searching for a “tag” line that fit who I am and what I wanted to bring to my photography business.   So, without further ado, my tag line for Lilly Blue Photography is:

Be Your Own Kind of

Beautiful