A Rose by Any Other Name...

         We come through so many things in life. Or should I say : A lot of us go through a lot of crap?? I can't speak for anyone else, but my childhood put a lot more on my shoulders than any kid ought to have had to carry. Molestation...addiction...dysfunction in the home. It's sad, to think about. 
     I learned from different people in my early childhood that I had more than one name. I was born Afi Mariama ...translation...Spiritual Gift of God. Yet, I was told and shown that I was cheap...only worth what amusement, pleasure of product I could give. My name was Low Priority, Overly Sensitive, Spoiled, Nothing. But, thankfully, I'm not as burdened with the weight of my past as I used to be. I have been learning more and more that I'm a rose...no matter what people have said to the contrary over the years.
     One of the most difficult things to learn in life is to know, accept and love ourselves for who we are, what we are, and where we are. I know I'm not alone here. Many of us have been lied to. We've been lied to by parents who were too emotionally sick to do any better and who taught us that we're worthless, common, stupid, ugly, pitiful, hateful and useless. We've been lied to by school mates who convinced us that we were too weird...not welcomed, unacceptable because of something as trivial as the nose  or pimples on our faces and the clothes on our backs. Some of us have been lied to by various teachers...who said...we just aren't cut out to be scholars, A students, good learners...intelligent. Others of us were lied to by spouses who convinced us that who we were and/or are wasn't and/or isn't  good enough and never will be... that we are in someway unloveable at our core. We've even been lied to by the media which continues to show us images of frail..."ethereal" (and I think famished) looking people who are airbrushed, silicone tempered, weaved up to "perfection." How do we combat voices and messages like these? How do we see beauty, value, uniqueness and brilliance in the face of what we've learned and been told all these years?

      I picture a person standing in front of a rose...or a lotus...or a lily shouting, "You're so ugly! you're so stupid! You're so ignorant! You don't have anything to offer...nothing to give...you're worthless!" I imagine the rose continuing to stand...to be fragrant...to bloom. Today, I'm certain that no matter how I was treated in my childhood, my adolescence, or my adult life that I have a name that describes who I am perfectly. Actually it's a perfect description for all of us...Spiritual Gift of God. We truly are all spiritual gifts from God ...to one another. We may have learned somewhere along the line that something is wrong with us...that we don't deserve to be called beautiful, bright, light and life filled creations of God. But we have to know and remember that being called out of our name doesn't change who and what we are. A rose is still a rose...even if some one calls it a toad.
     The remedy, tool, resource...practice for remembering that we are invaluable, radiant, gorgeous and special is to simply stand and to bloom. To be. When thoughts, old voices, or new ones come and tell us what we're not...we continue to be who and what we are. Don't be afraid...at least not so afraid that you crumple. And know, too, that you're not standing alone...

Prayer for the Journey:

Let us in all situations remember what and who we are. Let us find strength and courage to stand, shine, grow, and give of ourselves despite the naysayers, hurtful messages and painful memories of our pasts. Above all let us remember that where we are weak, God is strong. Where we are failing God's life and work succeeds in us! Let us keep with us the knowledge that we are not alone!