When will you stop standing in your own way, Anita? Look at yourself—truly look. Stand here in the mirror and face the truth. No more excuses. No more hiding behind grief or the weight of all you’ve carried. Yes, it’s heavy, but you’ve held on to it because it felt easier than letting go.

Grief has been your crutch. You’ve let it stop you from moving, healing, and showing up for yourself. And love? You’ve given yourself to men who could never fully love you back—men who were emotionally unavailable, broken in ways you thought you could fix. Forgive yourself for that. Forgive yourself for loving them when they couldn’t love you in return.

Forgive yourself for not being the mother you thought you could be, for all the ways you feel you fell short. You did the best you could with what you had. And forgive yourself for what happened to you in school, for what happened when you were young. You were a child—innocent, unknowing. You didn’t deserve that, and it wasn’t your fault.

Forgive yourself for being there for everyone else—for pouring love, time, and energy into people who refused to pour back into you. Forgive yourself for letting other people’s insecurities make it hard for you to love yourself.

And Anita, forgive yourself for not understanding the favor God has always had over your life. Your grandmother told your mother you were blessed. She saw it in you before you could see it in yourself. Forgive yourself for letting people who had no intention of helping you step into your purpose stop you.

The weight you carry is not just the pain others caused—it’s the pain you’ve held onto within yourself. But now you see it. Now you know. Everything you’ve ever wanted is already yours, waiting on the other side of that door. But to walk through it, you must close every old door—the doors of shame, guilt, self-doubt, and fear.

See yourself as God sees you. See yourself as your grandmother saw you—blessed, strong, and purposeful. Forgive yourself, Anita. For everything. For all the times you didn’t choose you. For all the moments you dimmed your light.

You’ve carried this weight long enough. It’s time to let it go. Give yourself the love, the grace, and the second chance you’ve given to everyone else.

This pain, this truth—it’s yours. But so is the power to rise from it. So, Anita, look at yourself one last time. Will you stay in this mirror, or will you step forward into the life God has been holding for you all along?

The choice is yours.