Migraine Awareness Month #13

Subtitle:  You Are Beautiful
Prompt:  Write yourself a love letter.  Tell yourself how wonderful you are.  Remind yourself of the things you have accomplished despite Migraines.  There are times when we need to be reminded of the good things about ourselves that others see that we may have missed.

This prompt would have been so easy to skip over. For too many years, I’ve been quite down on myself. Recently, however, after watching Iyanla Van Zant on Oprah’s Lifeclass® her words to a participant have stuck with me: “You Matter!” Yes indeed, we all really do matter. More importantly, I owe this assignment to my daughter, Jana. She’s in her mid-twenties and is an RN, BSN; who has accomplished so much. I’m so proud of her, and yet I see her struggling with the same self-doubt and esteem issues I have had. I know that I’ve passed these insecurities on to her. It’s time to stop this second guessing; to stand up and shout, “I Matter!”

Dearest Andrea,

I love you. Yes, I really mean that. If I could go back in time to the middle school girl who was teased and bullied, I’d hug her tightly and tell her to stand strong because these kids weren’t worth worrying about. Rise above it. You Matter!

And then your anchor in life died only one week after you turned sixteen. Your mother was gone, and you were left to take care of a dear dad, 53 years older than yourself. You had to become his anchor as he struggled with emphysema and congestive heart failure. You stepped up to the plate and learned how to cook, take care of bills, the yard, shopping, painting the whole exterior of the house by yourself! Most importantly, you forged a special bond with this dear old man of a father. We rooted for different baseball and football teams and had conflicts sometimes, but those five years together alone were priceless.

I love you because you kept adapting to changes that were forced upon you. Barely twenty-one and parentless, you had two sisters who were much older and had their own lives, so you had to be strong. You finished school, moved to Oregon and have made a wonderful life here.

Look at the love you and your husband of 29 years have had! That’s an awesome accomplishment. Migraines have been a steady part of this life of yours, but they haven’t destroyed you! Your husband loves you with all his heart, and you him. Good thing he wrote down your phone number on a piece of paper plate on July 10, 1982 (he kept it in his wallet for years until it wore down to nothing).

Your passion for thirty years of working with people who have cognitive disabilities has brought you so much joy. You were acknowledged many times and respected by colleagues for the way you worked with the folks, honoring them as people first. You led by example, treating everyone with dignity, and earning you kudos and recognitions throughout those years.

And then there’s your children, who grew way too quickly. One lovely daughter, and a handsome son who both work hard in different ways. How could you look at them and dare say anything against yourself! You are so proud of these awesome kids.

After years of inactivity due to migraines and excessive sweating, you have recently rediscovered your passion for swimming. It is making you strong, all the more reason to love yourself. And while everyone important in your life remembers some of your struggles with Migraines, they have gathered many more memories of who you have been all along – a sweet, nurturing person who Matters!

Love always, You, Me, Myself & I

National Migraine Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation

The Blogger’s Challenge is initiated by