Last night I had the privilege to attend and be a part of an event hosted by our local Eating Disorder Awareness Coalition.  The event was to promote the coalition, and was highlighted by several speakers, each sharing how the coalition has touched their lives.

I was thrilled to be able to speak again (I spoke at two events in February for Eating Disorder Awareness Week) and was once again overwhelmed by the support I received.  It’s always empowering to simply sit down and right out what I want to say first and foremost (another reason why I love this blog, regardless of who reads it).  To take into account and recall all the experiences that have got me to where I am today is helpful and motivates me to continue this fight.  I shared that volunteering with the coalition has been essential to my recovery.  Once I found my voice that had been stiffled for a loooong time, the coalition gave me the space to be open, honest, and candid in sharing my story.  So many people have been supportive of me each and every step of the way, and I’m so grateful for that.

But the highlight of the event for me was listening to two 12 year old girls share.  They were both a part of the Gr. 6 Girls Groups that the EDA coalition has recently started.  I was trained as a facilitator for these groups last year, but was unable to use these skills and lead a group as I was focusing on my own recovery.  But it was so wonderful and inspiring to hear how the groups have affected these young girls.  The cirriculum (derived from EveryBody’s a Somebody) is amazing — age-approriate and fun, the lessons focus on building a positive body image, improving and maintaining self-esteem, and being media savvy.

I was close to tears hearing the strength, integrity, and self-acceptance in the voices of these 2 girls.  They shared what they had learned through the groups and how they have changed for the better.  They love themselves for the unique individuals they are and have developed an amazing sense of self that was apparent in the words they shared with us.  One of the girls ended her talk by saying “My wish is for you all to love yourselves because you are beautiful because you’re you and I’m beautiful because I’m me!”  Like I said, it almost brought me to tears.  What an amazing opportunity for these girls.  I can only hope that one day, every girl gets the chance to be a part of these groups.

So remember, you are beautiful because you’re YOU.  I’m beautiful because I’m ME!

a BEAUTIFUL sunset from the bike trip

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