Anointed in Love

First and foremost, I would like to start off this post by saying THANK YOU! To all the women who have stepped out and participated in this project, THANK YOU! It's impossible to build a community without women who are willing! Thank you for your profound willingness! Thank you for trusting me and thank you for sharing your journey with myself and other women!

Some of you sent me several photos and things you love about yourself and some of you had trouble finding one picture and one thing you love about yourself. Wherever you may be in your journey just know that you are seen, you are heard, you are valued, you are doing great, you are brave, and you are so loved! Whether you're the woman who sent me 10 pictures and a long list of things, or the woman who couldn't find a single thing and chose not to participate -- it's ok to feel what you feel and it's ok to take things at your own pace! Those of you who have participated are so brave for doing so! Those who chose not to participate are equally brave for honoring this part of your journey. It's all welcome here my Sultry Saints!

And if you weren't quite ready this time but think you may get there in the future, or if you missed the deadline for this round, I have great news! I plan on keeping this project alive and continuing to make more posts like it! 💃🏽 In order for our Anointed in Love series to continue we will need to grow our community and keep witnessing willing women! So, if you participated in this project or resonate with this project please share this post and my blog link with other women who would appreciate something like this!

Here is how this came about and here is what it's all about!

I literally just had a random thought not all that long ago that lit me up immediately so I reached out to the women who I thought would be willing to participate in such a transcendent and empowering movement! The responses I got were so lovely and encouraging, and just reaffirming that this is such important work even if at times it may be difficult, confusing, or uncomfortable! This is where I hold such sacred space for all those feelings! And I invite you to join in with me whatever that may look like for you!

This is how it works: I asked several women to send me their favorite picture of themselves. It could be a picture doing a favorite activity, a faceless photo, a photo of a favorite body part, just whatever photo they loved themselves in! Then I asked the same women to send me a few things they love about themselves from their favorite physical attribute(s) to their favorite personality trait(s), to where they find their identity rooted in and so on, with no perimeters of how long or short. Before sending me what they wrote, I asked them to proofread their message -- removing all negative, belittling, self-deprecating, unkind, and or comparative statements. My hope is that in asking these women to do this (myself included) that we would all see where we have hard eyes on ourselves and learn to soften our gaze. Essentially to gaze at ourselves lovingly, with grace, understanding, and deep appreciation.

Here's the layout of what you'll see: I will include the names of the women, one of their favorite photos sent to me with permission to post, and the direct (copy and pasted) quote they sent me of the things they love about themselves. I chose to do direct quotes because I don't want it to be my voice that's heard on behalf of these women. I want the voices of these women to be heard for themselves as individuals! I want you to hear and see the way these women see themselves through their own eyes and with their own words. So without further ado, here are the transcendent women who are part of my very first "Anointed in Love" series! (the order is simply the order in which I received the materials as well as permission to post.)

(special note: to the women who participated, if at any point in time you would like to be removed from this project for whatever reason, please, do not hesitate to kindly message me to let me know -- I will do so respectfully and immediately!)

HERE WE GO!

Kristin : “I am so proud and love the following things about myself!

My heart is pure gold and I choose to love deep because everyone deserves to be seen, honored and loved.

I am strong. The wildest and chaotic storms of life may come, but I know I can weather them because my roots are deep and my support system is tightly woven.

I have grown to see the world as a beautiful rainbow rather than black and white. This is huge for me, because black and white is safe.

I am kind. In the midst of all the hardship brought to my door or impoliteness in a situation 99% of the time I choose to be kind.

Above all of these things, I adore myself for choosing to embrace all I am and be unique. No cookie cutter for this human to be found on the earth. I am priceless and 100% worth it.”

Michelle : “Alright I’ll tell you a few things I like about myself. I know it’s kind of hard for me to not talk about things I don’t like about myself, but I’ll try. It’s all about trying right! I think physically, I’ve always been grateful for my eyelashes and the shape of my eyes. I also love the size and shape of my lips. If I’m being honest, there’s a lot that I love about myself physically. I’ve grown more to accept every part of me, but those are the things I love most about myself physically. As for personality, I think it would have to be my weirdness and awkwardness. I would have to say those are the main traits that make me, me. They make people laugh and I like it when I bring joy to other people because when they’re happy that makes me happy. Lastly, my kind heart. I know I can be too kind but I believe showing kindness can help others to become more kind with one another.”

Tissana : “I often ponder on the perfect words to use; but are these words really a reflection of the true person I am? With that said 'I'm Tissana Cornwall born and raised on the beautiful island of Jamaica. I'm selfless, resilient, hopeful, open-minded, timid, beautiful, voluptuous and outgoing a few words that best fits me as an individual. I AM SELFLESS- I am concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own; unselfish. I AM RESILIENT-I am always going after what I want even when obstacles present itself, I am always able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. I AM STRONG- I have been through a lot in my life but I stand firm to the things that I believe in. I live by the mantra “If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life.” — Marcus Garvey. Being an assertive individual, I can strongly say that I am confident about my skin color, my curvaceous body, my creole language, and most of all I have confidence in MYSELF. I enjoy being alone a lot, but I am extremely outgoing and social. My environment dictates how I behave. Sometimes I can be very loud while other times I am super quiet. What I love most about my body is my curves. Did you know that curvy women in general have a fantastic walk? Four fun facts about my curvy body 1. My curves are addictive. 2. My curves are a part of ME. 3. My curves make me look younger. And 4. Curvy does not means I am fat. These are the reason why I love this about my body. One of the biggest reasons to love your body should be to make yourself more confident. Confidence is key and no matter what you are doing in life, when you are confident about it, it shows, and people are more attracted to that. Just know, you are beautiful no matter what! I honestly just want to be better than the woman I was yesterday. Day by day, allowing myself to be my only competition.”

Emma: “Ok! Here is is:

My favorite thing about myself is that my joy comes from the Lord. There’s a certain freedom that comes with knowing your identity in Christ and being able to love yourself MORE because of how worthy you know you are in his eyes. I love loving on people, and making other people laugh. I also love sharing my gift of listening to others and providing encouragement.

As far as my favorite physical attributes about myself, my favorite things are my eyes and my smile. I like to think that I have kind eyes and a kind heart, and I hope that anyone who sees me knows that they are always safe with me. I get the most joy out of life by walking side by side with people, and making them feel loved and heard.”

Alex : “Well, physically, I love this BOOTY 🍑! Where my big booty sisters at? 😂 I work to keep myself in good shape & find pleasure in lifting weights & challenging my body’s capabilities. With that comes my competitive side, whether I’m in the gym or at work, I like to be the best I can. Acknowledging that I’m always a work in progress, constantly learning & my real competitor is myself. I’m proud of how much of a hard worker I am. Another physical attribute I like is my smile, I have a thing for teeth & like to keep my babies looking good 😎

Mentally/emotionally I enjoy how empathetic I am towards people & animals. If I’m at a gathering, you bet your booty if there’s animals there, that’s where you’ll find me 👏😂 I’m blessed with an adventurous spirit, whether that’s traveling far from home (other states/countries) or exploring Oregon with all the outdoor activities available. Hiking is my favorite. I can be with a group of people or just myself & my pups & I have the best time.

I’m also very bold. Some may say stubborn but I do a lot of things numerous women wouldn’t by themselves. I’ve conquered various trials I’ve faced in the past 7 years & am able to look back with positivity. They’ve been tough but made me who I am today. A strong, bold, & pretty damn funny woman. 👏”

Zenre : “I love that I’m a creative sentimentalist. I love taking photos and documenting life.

I love spending time with my family, organizing clutter and being creative. I love dancing in my unmentionables in my apartment like a crazy person singing along unnecessarily loudly to whatever's playing, it always makes me feel good!

I love meeting new people and learning about their culture, traditions and lives. I find it fascinating how different yet similar people are.

I'm a person who always goes the extra mile, I don't do anything halfway, go big or go home.

I'm a somewhat shy, quiet, solitary person. I am kind, understanding, loving and fiercely loyal to those I love and care for. I'm working on being a confident person when it comes to complimenting and talking about myself. It's a journey and I try to work hard on this aspect of my being. It's very important to love yourself. If you can't love yourself first, how can you expect anyone else to love you the way you're supposed to be loved.”

Kate : “A question to myself: What do you love about yourself? You love that you’re an unapologetic loud, boisterous, freely charismatic and sexy exerted woman. You love that you’re a literal WOMAN. Woman make, create, share, carry, and comfort. You’re proud that you give yourself permission to do all those things and be boldly in your own stance, dream, perfection at the same damn time. You’re one hell of a mother, and so much more. You love your smile, creativity and you love that your walk & strength & confidence turns heads. You love that you can say that and not apologize for it. People are curious about you. Want to be your friend. You love that you make them feel good, welcomed and proud of who they are. You love that you can now proudly call your ‘imperfections’ not imperfect at all actually that they are exactly what make you in fact just what you need to be. Perfectly you. Your weakness is actually strength- POWER and you’re willing to not go with society standard or even go against it, but create your own. Your own empire. You’re proud that in fact you can do hard things. It’s wonderful to have support however you know (because you’ve had to) you can stand on your own. Get. Shit. Done. Accept life is not fair, easy, or light. However you love it anyway. You are not hard, cold nor bitter. You laugh, play, and love so damn hard. I do in fact because it flows from me, within me."

Krissa : “what I love about myself this week? that’s easy.

It’s my freedom.

The freedom to be free and unrestrained in everything I love and do.

I love that I no longer let myself be contained- and I let myself love freely and openly and deeply”

Elle : “•I am extremely empathetic and genuine in my relationships. I’m usually the “advice giver” in my circle of friends.

•My faith is what grounds me and has gotten me through some extremely tragic losses in my life.

•I’m determined; I don’t give up on the things I care about and have a very hard time giving up on my goals.

• I’m loyal and honest. I don’t sugar coat things but I always aim to be an encouragement to people.

•My favorite physical attribute about myself is probably my eyes and smile.

•I’ve learned to love how big my heart is, as much as it’s hurt me in relationships. My identity lies in who I am in the Lord and how He’s given me the ability to love hard and love without limits. I give Him all the credit though.”

Janae : “Hmmm favorite things about me lol.

Despite growing up with a family who never traveled or broke comfort zones, I somehow mustered up the courage all on my own, self taught, and just went. Despite everyone who told me to “grow up” that was my idea of being a grown up. Working whenever/wherever I want and doing what I loved- traveling. All paid at my own expense. I love it so much since it’s taught me how to be self independent, how to navigate a country, andddddd their freaken airports! 🤣 This wanderlust mindset has even gotten me to learn Chinese and become nearly fluent. (I speak it everydayyyyyy) I’ve learned bisaya and could speak it for a full day. And now I’m learning Swedish. 🤣 so I’m grateful for how much it’s taught me to try new things, meet new people, and discover new places. ✨

I love that I have green eyes. Just makes me feel a little more different and it’s a reminder that I am uniquely created. I love that I love listening to other peoples stories. In this way I’m personable and am easy going with making new friends even if they’re complete strangers haha. In this way it also breaks me out of my comfort zone, so it goes hand in hand perfectly with traveling. 🥰 “

Bamboo : “confident simple pure and peaceful”

Shaaista : “So this is probably one of my favorite photos of myself because it shows off my natural lashes which is one of the many things I love about myself. Apart from my lashes I must say I love my sarcastic personality, constant resting "mean" face and how stylish I am. I find happiness in mascara as well as mixing and matching random items of clothing and just seeing how they all come together. My face might say "don't look at me" but my outfit says "I dare you to look a third time."

Sam : “It's hard to put into words what I love about myself--due to not really being used to thinking about. But, I suppose what I love most about myself is my capacity for empathy. I also love my ability to put others at ease; life is stressful enough and it gives me joy to know I offered some kind of comfort or laughter in a world which often feels devoid of levity. 😊”

Sable : “There are so many things I truly appreciate about myself now that I never could before and I am so incredibly proud of the growth that I have experienced and my will power and motivation to continue forward in seeking Jesus and seeking the freedom to be completely me!

Some things I love about myself physically; my hair, it’s wild, it’s fun and I feel like that’s an outward expression of whats on the inside. Another is my lady lumps! It’s taken a long time for me to accept my body and its hills and valleys and I am so appreciative of all that my body does for me. I’ve gotten to a place where I now love and accept body as it is in every state and am able to feel beautiful and sultry 💃🏽 and another physical attribute I love about me is my eyes! They see so much beauty, color, hope, and joy in this world and I cherish my sight immensely! Plus my eyes are a nice shape and I love the way they light up and crinkle when I laugh 😇

I love different aspects of my character for being so complex and different. I love that I no longer choose to have one or the other but find ways to incorporate it all. A large part of me is very spiritual — rooted in Jesus, and deeply connected in many ways yet I'm very practical, independent, and openminded. Another huge part of me is so playful and spicy, sassy, fun, creative and I love my social butterfly self and participating in community! I am so blessed to be multi cultural and I love exploring that both in the physical as well as beyond the physical. It also allows me to better understand and appreciate other cultures. I love that I am a deep thinker and feeler who is now able to spend time alone in complete comfort and satisfaction. I love that I have such a capacity to love so deeply and with immense empathy because of my roots founded in Jesus and because I’m becoming more deeply connected with the human experience. I also gain so much joy and fulfillment out of meeting new people, spending time with love ones, having deep or lighthearted conversations and just that I have the natural ability to connect authentically! One thing that I’m most proud of myself for in this moment is my capacity for the open expansion of my mind, heart, spirit and body to new experiences, perspectives, practices, change, travels and cultures."

And there it is! As I sit here compiling and reading this post in my PJ's for hours, witnessing all you saints in your fullness; I am so grateful and feeling inspired and empowered by all of you! This experience has been truly special to me! So often I think we have these preconceived notions about someone, we make assumptions or judgements of a photo without knowing the story behind it, or we've simply created an entire identity and set of expectations for someone, never having actually asked them who they are, what their story is, or where they're at in their journey and why! This project has opened my eyes to how often I am guilty of those very things, not just towards other people but towards myself as well! This project actively breaks that unhealthy cycle in a BIG way! It has allowed me to know each of these women on such a deeper level with more understanding of who they are -- therefore giving me the ability to truly see and honor each woman in all her unique glory! Let's free ourselves from the chains of assumption, preconcienced notions, judgements, untrue identities, and expectations! Let's introduce ourselves to each other and to the rest of the world: kindly, proudly, and with a profound softness.

I would love to hear what you learned about yourself in doing this self love exercise, and what you gained out of witnessing these women do this exercise alongside you! If you didn't participate in this round of Anointed in Love but are reading and witnessing -- what is it that is speaking to you? What is stirring inside you, if anything? Is this something that you would like to be a part of in the future?

If this movement resonates with you please feel free to message me, subscribe, fill out a contact card, and or send me your picture and list (the first photo contains the instructions on what to send me in order to participate in the next round!💋) I will save everything and include it in the next round of Anointed in Love. If this is a part of your journey you want to explore more but aren't yet ready to share this way, I simply encourage you to try this practice on your own and see where it takes you!

Thank you so much for hearing these women's stories and seeing them in their journey! Don't hesitate to leave a kind comment for any or all of them and stay tuned for more projects like this to come! I have so many plans to include this community in participating in my posts often and I appreciate your willingness to do so! Please share this with other women who would gain goodness out of witnessing and or participating in this movement. Remember to fill in your email at the bottom (if you haven't already) to subscribe and get notifications for my posts! If you don't fill in your email you won't receive updates and you'll only be able to see new posts by checking manually.

stay spicy, stay wild, and be kind ❤ mucho carino