A Little Light in the Darkness

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Suggested listening: Maggie Rogers' "Light On"

It has been a w-e-e-k, y'all.

It has been a week when the darkness feels too thick, too heavy, too much.

It has been a week when friends lost family members, loved ones received scary diagnoses, women everywhere shared painful stories of sexual assault.

It has been a week when I marked my sixth year without my mom, when I grappled with my own experiences with sexual assault.

It has been a week in desperate need of a break in the clouds.

When I least expected it, some sunshine managed to pour on through.

On our way home one night, my sweet 5-year-old Laila piped up from the backseat, and this is what she said:

"Mommy, do you know what girls have?"

"What?"

"POWER! And strength! And we can do anything. Boys think we're impossible and that we only like haircuts and unicorns and pretty things but we can do anything. Right, Mommy?"

And after a few stunned seconds of proud silence, I had one word: "YES."

Yes to self-worth, baby girl.

Yes to a level playing field, baby girl.

Yes to that light in the darkness, baby girl.

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