Despite growing up in the same town in Iowa, these two experienced completely different worlds in their childhoods. Melyssa recalls encountering racism at a very young age when she was bullied after being selected to sing a Snow White song. That moment had a lasting impact on how Melyssa viewed herself versus how the world viewed her.
What mattered to them was what they could see and that it didn’t make sense so it was okay to laugh and point… and that was pretty crushing for an 8-year-old.
Yet, the world’s negative perceptions aren’t enough to stop Melyssa from participating in self love. Her partner asks her what she would say to their future children if they experienced the same thing she did; Meylssa only had words of warmth and encouragement. While there will inevitably be times when the world and society rejects your Self, they can never take away from the love you can give to yourself.
No matter what people say, who you are is a gift and what you offer to the world is a gift.
