I have

taken my time posting this sweet blog because I wanted it to be JUST. RIGHT. This young woman is one of the purest forms of beauty I know and the light that radiated through her as I captured her with my camera truly left me speechless.

MyKayla is my baby sister…the youngest of us all. I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. I have watched her grow into her own and I honestly STILL can’t believe she is a teenager. Seriously…WHERE DID THE TIME GO?!? She deals with the things almost every ordinary teenager deals with, but what I truly desired to capture with my camera…what I needed her to see… was that SHE IS NOT ORDINARY. SHE…IS PRETTY DARN EXTRAORDINARY.

Ladies, we’ve all been there. When we were young, we thought we weren’t pretty enough. Not funny enough. We thought that we weren’t talented enough…we hated the reflection looking back at us in the mirror and convinced ourselves we would always be inferior to someone else, never getting a chance to stand in our sunlight. And sometimes…if we don’t renew our mind, this kind of poisonous thinking can carry over into our adulthood, shattering our confidence and breaking our spirit. I know. I’ve been there. Like all the women before her (and whether or not she realizes it…all the other teenagers she may compare herself to), MyKayla is in this phase…the “I’m not pretty enough phase.” But I want to take a minute to write to my little sister and let her know just how special she really is.

Dear MyKayla, 

I want to let you in on a little secret…that’s not really a secret: YOU. ARE. BEAUTIFUL.  

It’s not just your piercing brown eyes that make you pretty or your tall, slender athletic physique that makes you stunning. You are beautiful because God made you. And before you ask…yes it really IS that simple.

Do you know what the Bible says about you? Yes..YOU. It says that God made you in HIS image. Not your sisters’ images, not your mom’s image…HIS image. Do you have ANY idea how beautiful that is? You…yes YOU are a reflection of God. Each time you take a breath…every time you curl the corners of your mouth to smile…you are showing the world what God looks like. In you, is the light from above.

I know sometimes it’s hard to NOT compare yourself to others. To be honest, sometimes I STILL do it! But comparing yourself to others…trying to be somebody else in order to try to fit in, will not do you any good. The world doesn’t need you being a carbon copy of someone else. The world needs you to be YOU. Look at you. Do you see the light that just seems to RADIATE from you? Girlfriend you are as beautiful as they come! Don’t spend another minute doubting it. Spend your life embracing who you are..

Don’t worry about what other people have to say about you. There will always be someone who has something negative to say. Want my advice? LET THEM. Let them talk and waste their hot air. Never allow their thoughts about you to keep you in their shadow. Be  bold and stand in your own beam of sunlight.

As you celebrate another birthday…another year on this Earth, know this: You are incredible. You are a talented young woman, with the world at her feet. I’m happy to say you’re not me. There is a special kind of greatness inside of you and God gave you specific your gifts that so many people, including me, need from you. Will you make mistakes? Yes, you will. But always remember, it’s not about the mistake you’ve made…it’s about what you learn from it and how you grow because of it. And so what if you’re little quirky? Take it from someone is TOTALLY quirky…Quirky is SO cool.

Love the skin you’re in, BE YOU and know that your big sis loves you very much. 🙂