We all have some growing pains...

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re familiar with the trouble Fantasia Barrino has experienced recently.  And if you’re not, I kindly suggest you “Google” her name.  Everything you would want to know will come up.  It’s hard trying to be the breadwinner for your family, be in the spotlight, and appear as this “happy-go-lucky” person.  It’s even harder when you don’t have a strong support system, when everything and everyone is sucking you dry, and you have to be the strong one for everyone else.  Who do the strong go to when they can’t take it anymore?

If you know me, you know (for the most part) I’m a happy person.  I always have a smile on my face, a pleasant disposition, and am pretty nice to be around.  Since high school, I have always been the person my friends come to when they have a problem.  I’ve always had a fear of sharing my troubles, problems, and issues with my friends.  Why?  Because I’m used to being the strong one.  I may share a little bit here and there, but I’ve never divulged everything that I’m going through with people.  I listened to Fantasia on “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” yesterday, and I could so relate to what she was saying.  One thing in particular was the story she was relating about the iceberg.  From working with a Life Coach, she discovered that the “iceberg” she previously showed was the happy, excited, have-it-all-together Fantasia, but under that iceberg is a bigger iceberg that carries the pain, the hurt, and the rejection.  When Steve asked what people were going to see from now on, Fantasia said, “Both”.  Her words got me to think about my life and the relationship that I have with people.  I’ve never wanted to share my insecurities with my mom because I didn’t want her to worry, but last night I decided to share.  Through our hour discussion, it was reiterated that God has a plan for my life, and all I have to do is be strong and trust in His word.  Plus, she let me know what I can do in the meantime to help myself.  She let me know that certain things that happened are beyond my control, but I can live right and do what I can to turn them around. 

This is probably the most honest I’ve been on this blog thus far, and like Fantasia, I’ll probably begin showing both “icebergs”.  Are you being honest with yourself and your friends?  Are you the one everyone goes to for advice? Who do you go to when you need a little word of encouragement or a boost of self-esteem?  We all have bad days, and that’s ok.  But we can’t wallow in our misery.  We have to get out of it so we can share our testimony.  There’s no testimony without a test.  And I hope that my little testimony today will help someone with his or her situation.  Just know that it won’t last forever.  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city.