As A kid my mother called me names out of her stress. I am the only one of my sisters with fat cheeks, so the name calling would include animal names like pig, cow, and dog. Those names didn’t bother me until high school when bullies picked on me and would say some of the same things. When others said it, I would recall my mother saying it and figured, it must be true...
Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, the fourth of nine children, I became my mother’s trailblazing child. To the excitement of my family, I was the first to complete high school, then undergraduate, and finally a master’s degree. However, these accomplishments came despite great challenges and difficulty. Unfortunate situations and circumstances consistently threatened to derail and utterly destroy my potential, like a bulldozer destroying everything in its path. Facing one obstacle after another, it was only by God’s grace and help that I had the strength, fortitude, determination and that undervalued character trait - patience, to thrive in the face of adversity.
Education made me feel confident. Once educated I was able to better use my voice and articulate in such a way that others began to respect what I had to say. I soon realized I had a gift for writing. Reflecting on my childhood, friendships, marriage, childrearing, career, diversity, mentorship, therapy or even being a military spouse, I journaled my experiences with deep intent to share the process of my triumphs and lessons learned.
One lesson, is this fact: NO WOMAN HAS IT PERFECT!
Every woman has a flaw or something she wrestles with. A woman can have 12 toes, infertility, be uneducated, sick, never married, anything - but, all of us has something. So, I learned quick never to compare myself to anybody and to appreciate my strengths and compliment each woman for hers.
In 2017, I packaged up some of my many lessons into a book and became an author. I always wanted to write a book. What inspired me to write this particular book is that people can relate to it even though many don’t talk about their idiosyncrasies. I felt that I could share mine for people to see how far I have come and that I hadn’t always been a positive leader and role-model. It was definitely a dream fulfilled. The book touched the lives of nearly everyone who read it, and my readers frequently questioned, “When will you write your next book?” Pondering this question, I often think that a movie better suits the events and pace of my busy life.
Beauty Redefined: Conquering Low Self-Esteem is just the beginning work on my theme of redefining. Redefining womanhood and redefining parenting are two other areas I look forward to exploring, as I continue my writing. As described on my book cover, I have addressed a topic that many women face during their lifetime, low self-esteem. Proudly, I now stand as a confident woman today, to enlighten other women I meet about the power of change, wise decision making, and flourishing amongst the inner chaos or mental turmoil to thrive.
God has created us all with unique talents and special gifts. So, I say: choose to focus on the gifts and strengths not your weaknesses. We are all on our different journeys and have contributions to make, for our families and society. Be yourself!!! Invest in yourself!!! Enjoy yourself!!! Know yourself!!! Treat yourself!!! Be the best YOU!!! Then no person can shake your foundation with their untruths.
I am Brandy Moore-Klutse, and I am a ReWriter!
Brandy Moore-Klutse is a SURVIVOR!!! Growing up in an environment that elevated material things over character and honored outward beauty over inner strength, she prevailed over insurmountable obstacles and battled the forces of low self-esteem. Brandy is an advocate for positive change in the lives of women like her and her mission is to see women invest in the unseen virtues of the soul. In her new book “Beauty Redefined, “she documents her journey of rejecting destructive thought patterns and embracing a genuine self-love. —From the jacket of her 2017 book
