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Hello? (tap, tap)  Are you still there?  I have been absent for a while and I don't have a good excuse so I won't bore you with a bad one.  I thought that maybe when I experience these short bouts of writers block that I will post some of my favorite things.  Today I am treating you all to my favorite quote.  It is mistakenly attributed to Nelson Mandela but is from a book written by Marianne Williamson.  (I learned this on Google).  Brace yourselves because here it is:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine, as children do.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

I first heard this quote on the movie "Akeelah and the Bee" and I loved it.  I think that everyone needs to understand this principle.  I constantly worry about my girls and their self-esteem because I think that determines everything for girls.  (In my opinion, more so than boys - argue if you must).  Self-esteem will dictate their friends, who they date, whether they will let their boyfriends treat them bad, etc., etc.  So, I am thinking of putting this in their rooms so they will know who they are and be inspired to live up to their potential.