What It's Like to Live With Scars

It’s hard to explain something that we've never experienced. We can research things and think we have an understanding of them, but until we have actually experienced them, we can’t even begin to understand the true feelings and emotions. When I first started writing, I heard over and over from other writers—write what you know. That’s why I try to write with sincere authenticity. It is my heart’s desire to give others a glimpse of my life and what it’s really like to live with scars. In doing so, I also reveal the mindset that it takes to overcome our circumstances. Most of the time, when I go beyond the surface, I write with tears. When I can feel it as I write it, then others can feel it when they read it. 

Most portrayals of scars are negative. Society can’t fathom that anyone would be able to accept and even be thankful for their scars. They try to portray differences as a grave sin and the person who bears the scars as a monster. That type of judgment breaks my heart. 

So let me tell you my story….

My mom may have struggled with my birth and my scars, but she never let me know that she was struggling. I attended public school, had friends (that I made on my own), and was forced to adapt to the school. No one gave me any extra help. My mom wouldn’t allow it. She knew I was capable of doing it all, therefore she forced me and the school to look beyond my scars and uncover my full potential. I was NEVER the special child or the different child—I was always just Candida. While there were a few kids who were mean to me, the majority of them loved and accepted me right away, and never even asked me what happened to me.  

Unconditional love drives out all shame. My family loves me unconditionally, therefore there is no shame. To insinuate that shame would be associated, just because a child or sibling is different, is heartbreaking, to say the least. My husband didn’t marry me because he felt sorry for me. He married me because he loves me. Every day he tells me that I am beautiful, and he makes me feel beautiful. Pity or shame has no part in our lives. In fact, he never even mentioned my scars before he married me. To date, he has never brought up the subject. My children follow in their daddy’s footsteps. They have never asked me about my scars. It just doesn’t matter.

Regardless of what some might think, I love and accept myself, as well as my scars. I am grateful that God blessed me to live. The enemy attacked me in the womb and my God intervened and blessed me to live.  Nothing is missing in my life. I am alive to love and be loved. I have everything that I need and sometimes my heart overflows with the abundance of it all. 

As long as people just focus on my scars, then they will never truly see me. Whenever I notice someone staring at me now, I just give them my best smile—the one that reaches my eyes and portrays kindness—and hope that they can see a little glimpse of God through me and my life. In God’s eyes, we are all the same. He loves us all unconditionally. And that is how He wants us to love others. As long as we look for the differences in others and constantly point them out, then we will never be able to see the person beyond the scars. 

If given the choice, I would not trade my scars. They have taught me so much about overcoming, perseverance, strength, compassion, and the love of God. These scars have given me wisdom that I wouldn’t have obtained otherwise; as well as a closer relationship with God. I have met people I wouldn’t have otherwise met, and developed immediate bonds with strangers through our experiences of pain. The hardships my scars cause me is not worthy to be compared to the joy. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida

Why We Need To Reprogram Our Minds

Have you ever spent the day with someone who is negative? When we are around negativity constantly, then it has a way of sneaking into our minds as well. I once worked at a facility where the majority of my coworkers complained and were often in a bad mood. Every time I opened the door and walked inside I could feel my mood changing. Their negativity brought me down. Going to work made me feel bad. It was then and there that I decided to become the kind of person who lifts others up, instead of tearing them down. Needless to say, I didn’t stay there for long. 

Now I am cautious of who I allow into my life. I want to surround myself with positive, encouraging people. If we don’t have those types of people in our lives, then we can read encouraging books. Every day we need to do something to fill up our cups. We can’t drink from an empty cup. When we give away our time, our love, and our energy without replenishing it in some way, then we will find ourselves overwhelmed and drained. 

Limiting beliefs have a way of sneaking into our minds. If we are not careful then we will start believing that our lives have limitations. After my surgery, when the pain in my hand was hard to deal with, I listened to encouraging words and hummed hymns. Because I knew that I was in a vulnerable state, I listened to the same inspirational video about overcoming every day until I believed the message in my heart.

 When I start my day by praying and reading my Bible, then I am replacing my thoughts with God’s word. The world is filled with heartache and pain, but God’s word is filled with peace and love. It reminds me to not let my heart be troubled or afraid. God has grace for our every need. We have nothing to fear. 

One of the things that I have learned to do is to examine my thoughts. Then I decide whether or not the thought is the truth or a lie. While I might feel like no one loves me at times, it is not the truth. In an effort to counteract the lie, I might make a list of all the people I know that truly love me. This helps me to reprogram my mind with the truth. Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves of the good in our lives. The world will constantly give us a hard time. 

Gratitude is one of the best ways to change our lives immediately. When we pause and feel gratitude for all of our blessings each day, then it turns what we have into enough. God loves hearing from us. It pleases Him when we pause to thank Him for our gifts—especially when we feel it in our soul. When I realized that I was going to have surgery to get a thumb, my heart was overjoyed. Randomly I would burst into tears and praise Him for the thumb I was going to get.

photo credit unsplash

When we constantly feed our minds God’s word, think about gratitude, and live in the present moment, then we are able to break free from the negativity. I’ve learned, it’s harder for me to have a conversation with the devil when I’m talking with the Lord. 

Philippians 4:8King James Version (KJV)

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

My Third Laser Treatment: No More Phantom Pain

Ever since my hand surgery, I have had phantom pain in my hand where the separation occurred. If I touched my hand on the left side near my pinkie finger, I felt it in my thumb. It was such a weird feeling.  At times, I even felt pain in the part of my hand that was removed. While it did get better, it still bothered me at times. 

After my last laser treatment, I felt a stabbing pain in the area where part of my hand was removed. It only lasted for a few minutes, and then it went away. The next morning, the phantom pain was gone and it has not returned. Now, I have feeling exactly where it should be. It is no longer rerouted to another area. When I talked to my doctor about it, he said that the nerve was probably damaged during the separation and the laser has helped it to heal faster. How wonderful is that?!

I am so grateful for the healing that I’ve already received in my hands. God is so good!

Today, was my third treatment and I am so hopeful for the scar on my arm. The damaged caused by the bands is complex. I’m at the point now that if I gain any muscle at all in my arm or shoulder, it hurts and becomes more restrictive. So while my new workout plan is definitely sculpting my shoulders, it is also causing me pain and perhaps the reason my rib is coming out of place. On the flip side, if I don’t workout I have pain. The constant pain gets on my nerves and today it just overwhelmed me. I’m at the point that I don’t know what else to do, so I am just trusting God to see me through this process, and to give me the healing that is His will for me. 

I will keep trying the laser treatments and believing that at any moment, it could relieve the pain in my arm and shoulder. Just like it took my phantom pain away. Today, I have pain in my arm and shoulder, but I also have hope and faith that it will get better. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida

Choose A Side

We love to stay in the comfortable place, where we are doing okay, but still not where we would like to be. When our goals and dreams force us to step outside of our comfort zone, then we start making excuses. We all do it. No one likes to be uncomfortable. So we do whatever it takes to keep ourselves in the place of mediocre, because we don’t want to experience the pain of change. 

After a while though, we find ourselves in a place of misery. The cost of remaining the same starts to cause us more pain than it would if we actually embraced our change. This is the part that causes people the most pain. Because standing in the middle is the most painful. It’s still uncomfortable and we repeat the pain cycle daily—without making any progress.

When we make a stand, and choose which one we want for our lives, regardless of the cost, then we are able to move forward. Just the decision to change can bring joy into our lives. Then we have to decide that we will do whatever it takes to move forward. Even if it’s painful. 

It took me one year to lose five pounds. I would eat healthy for a few days or weeks, and lose a few pounds. The moment that I saw the scale go down, I would resort back to my old ways. The constant going back and forth lasted for months. Until one day, I ripped my favorite jeans. In that moment, I decided that it was time to get serious about my nutrition. Once I decided that I would no longer tolerate my actions, I was able to change.

I even took it a step further and began researching foods. I forced myself to look at the nutrition in the foods that I was consuming regularly. Seeing all the added sugar, and long list of ingredients helped me to make better choices. It’s been years now, and I’ve not went back to my old ways because I have strong feelings about why I do what I do. I chose a side and every day I stick with my decision—even when it’s hard. 

Force yourself to decide today. What do you want for your life? Break free from mediocre and go after extraordinary. It’s the hard things that are so rewarding. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida

The Power of Vision

Last night, I decided to go back through my journal and read some of the things that I had previously recorded. After a few pages, I found a place where I talked about writing words of encouragement—365 of them to be exact. As I read my words, I smiled and was a little awed by my Lord. He gave me the thought at least a year before I wrote the first one. And I had completely forgotten about even writing that in my journal. In fact, it was my publisher who suggested that I write the 365 snippets for an app.  

Now, however, as I look at my new app “Words of Encouragement” I realize the importance of writing things down. If we can dream it, we can achieve it. Before my books were ever published, I imagined kids surrounding me as I read them all about Zippy. Now I have three Zippy books in print, along with translations in Spanish and Russian, and I’ve read my stories to thousands of children. Before I had ever met anyone else with Amniotic Band Syndrome, I imagined it. The day that I attended a picnic with over 200 people, some of them with ABS, I remembered my dream. For two years, I wrote, ‘become an award winning author’ on my vision board. This year, in 2016, it happened. 

When we become clear about what we want and develop a plan to make it happen, anything is possible. I believe that God is the One who puts those dreams in our hearts. He wants us to do everything that is possible for us to do to make it happen, and then leave the impossible to Him. 

Would you be interested in learning more about my process of creating a vision board? This can work with all areas of our life. Send me an email to: candidasullivan@yahoo.com or leave me a comment. 

Also my app “Words of Encouragement” is free in the app store. I’d love for you to download it. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida

What Are You Grateful For?

As Thanksgiving approaches, my heart shifts toward the grateful mindset. While I could write pages about my blessings, I could never fully explain how grateful I am to be saved by God’s amazing grace. It is the greatest gift ever  known to man.

The peace that fills my soul is priceless and yet it can’t be bought. Regardless of what I do wrong, my God still loves me. Even when I mess up and disappoint Him, He still loves me. When I’m afraid, He is my comforter. When I’m too weak to walk on my own, He carries me. He is my protector, my rock, my strength and a wonderful Savior. He always has exactly what I need. I’m so humbled and grateful to be His child. 

It is because of my Lord that I have everything in my life. He’s so good to me. I have a home waiting on me in Heaven that’s not made with hands. One of these days, I’ll be with my Lord forever. What a day that will be!

Until then, I’m going to praise His sweet name and do my best to live for Him. 

Psalm 100:4-5 KJV 

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

What are you the most grateful for in your life right now? 

Love and blessings, 

Candida

Resisting the Change

This morning, I saw my hand for the first time—without the feeling of shock. In my mind, I have been blocking the change that took place. My hand has felt and looked so different to me that I have been unconsciously rejecting it. The pain with movement, the frustration with not being able to move it (like I wanted), and the constant struggle to do anything with it has caused me to resist the change of it. 

Even though I am so grateful for my hand and a thumb, totally changing how I do things is so hard! A few days ago, I broke down and cried because I couldn’t fix my hair like I used to. I couldn’t remember how I had once curled my hair nor could I figure out a new way. The process took forever and I was so frustrated. But the moment that I asked God to help me, to show me a new way to use my hand, it clicked and I was able to see a different way. 

It’s the same way with cooking, driving, exercising, working, and every time that I pick something up . My hand does not work at all like it used to. Trying to figure out the process of cooking, I nicked my thumb with a knife because I still can’t feel the end of my thumb well. Instead of getting frustrated and asking my husband for help, I continued to try—until I was able to figure it out.

While I know that the process takes time, it is still hard to endure. And now I realize that I have been standing in my own way. I have been trying to do things the old way, but those ways will not work for me any longer. I have to embrace the change and realize that God will provide me with a new way to do all things.

This morning as I reached down to get something I looked at my hand, and I really saw the beauty of it. I smiled as I realized that I had finally accepted it—the scars, struggles, and beautiful miracle of it. Now the devil can no longer use the power of the pain and uncertainty to hurt me any longer. My heart is open and I am welcoming the change. Praise God. 

What a journey this has been for me! Now I understand why God encouraged me to write about the process and share it daily. He knew that writing about it would help me to heal and figure it out sooner, rather than later. Today as I found myself getting frustrated about a situation, I stopped, took a deep breathe, and realized that this is going to make an excellent story for a new book or when I take the stage again. 

Have a wonderful day!

Candida

Productivity: How to Control Your Day

Have you ever had a moment or situation that you would like to do over? Every time I hit my snooze button and fall back to sleep, I wake up wishing I could change my decision. When I eat something that will make me sick (aka dairy) I always wish I could travel back in time and tell myself not to eat it. While we can’t change what has already been done, we can try to stop our future self from further self-sabotage. 

Time management is a struggle for me. So many times I just wander through my day. I get caught up in reaction mode and just react to the circumstances of my day—all day long. My focus is all over the place and I don’t have a clear picture in my mind of what I wish to accomplish. Therefore, I don’t accomplish anything of significance. This act of mindlessly working creates stress, overwhelm, and makes me want to quit because I am not seeing any results. 

If my day is scheduled, however, I am able to accomplish so much more. Yesterday, I had 95 % of my to-do list finished by 8 a.m. Then without guilt, I was able to spend the rest of the day with my husband. When I focus on the scheduled tasks, I am able to accomplish so much more. It helps me to know how long I have to work on each thing and also that I schedule in margin. I need time in my day to rest and rejuvenate. A short nap in the middle of the day (when possible) helps me to be more creative because I seem to hit the wall around 2 p.m., but a 30 minute power nap gives me the needed energy to finish my day. If I can’t take a nap, I try to take a short walk. 

At first the thoughts of having a schedule overwhelmed me, and I resisted it for months or years rather. In fact, when I was traveling for speaking events, I felt overwhelmed with each new event I scheduled. The tighter my schedule, the greater my stress. But I knew that if I wanted to take my business to the next level, and invite more peace into my life, that I had to get focused. 

So every morning I take a few minutes and schedule my day. Usually after I’ve finished my Bible reading and while I’m drinking my coffee. First, I write down everything on my mind. 

• What bills need to be paid? 
• What work has to be done today? 
• What do I need to do to move me closer to my dreams?

Once I’ve written everything down, I make out a schedule so that I can complete it all. This also prevents me from reacting to the events of my day or wasting my time. So many times I have had an important deadline or project, but instead of having laser focus and working on it, I have allowed someone else to control my day. Or I’ve gotten caught up in the social media scroll or reading articles that I’ve wasted hours. 

When I’m intentional about my day, I am more productive. While I am still not perfect at scheduling my day, I am doing better than before. Each day we are a work-in-progress. Here is a great action plan to help you get started. 

Have a wonderful, productive day!

Candida

Coffee With God

What would you think, if I told you that you can have coffee  with God? It’s the first thing I do each morning. Once my coffee is ready, I sit down and talk to God. I greet Him as I would a friend. Tell him whatever is bothering me and ask Him for guidance, and then I listen. And He talks with me. He meets me because I put forth the effort to talk to Him. Sometimes it’s only a moment, but it gives me comfort, strength, and guidance for my day. 

God created the world and everything in it. He understands my heartaches, my hardships, and He knows how to overcome every single one. 

John 16:33 (KJV)

33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

What a blessing it is to be able to talk to our Creator. It blesses my heart greatly to know that my Lord will take a few minutes to talk to me. It pleases Him when we reach out to Him. He wants to help us through our hardships and problems, and teach us how to live victoriously through Him. We just need to make time each day to communicate with Him, but He needs to be a priority in our life. Waiting until our hearts are overcome with heartache is not the only time that we should call out to Him.

What a difference it would make in our life each day if we talked to God, first thing in the morning. Before we are distracted or consumed by our problems. The most important part of the conversation, however, is listening to God and then trusting Him. My life goes so much better when I trust God and leave my problems with Him. 

I want my life to become exactly what God created for me to be. In some way, each day, I desire to glorify my Lord. The only way I can discover His plan for me is if I ask Him, and allow Him to guide me.

So often we think that we have to figure everything out for ourselves. We take on the burden of making every decision correctly and on our own. And we fail to realize that God wants to help us. Reach out to Him today.

Happy Monday!

Candida 

Why Do We Compare Ourselves to Others?

We’ve all done it at some point. Someone does something that we would like to do, or they have something we would like to have, and right away we start comparing our life to theirs. The unfair part about comparison is our unwillingness to recognize the struggles that led to the victory. 

Victory doesn’t come without hard work, determination, and sacrifice of some kind. 

Most of the time, though, we are not willing to put in the work to achieve the goal. We want the victory, but not the hardships that come prior. Success, wisdom, and knowledge all come with a price. 

How many times have we all said these things?

• I could never do _____.
• I wish I could do _____.
• I wish my life was _____. 
• I can’t _______.
• I will never be  ____.

We compare our life and what we feel on the inside to what someone else manifests on the outside. The lens of perfectionism appeals to us all, but it doesn’t exist. No life is perfect. No career is perfect. No marriage is perfect. No child is perfect. No one is perfect. 

Examples:

The first time I went to the gym, I compared my first day to others who were there working out—who had been doing it for a long time. I watched  them and was envious of their strength and stamina. In doing that I discouraged myself. It didn’t take me long to realize that the only person I need to compare myself to is the person I was yesterday. 

To compare myself to an author who has been writing for 20 years is unfair. We are each on a journey. And we are all on different phases of that journey. It is fine to be inspired by someone, but to be jealous of someone else’s success is detrimental to my own success.

When I was first married, I couldn’t understand why my husband didn't look at me the way my grandparents looked at each other. It made me question the strength of my marriage. Then one day I realized that it takes years of struggles, heartaches, and time to get to the level of love they shared. Love grows over time, and I just needed to give my marriage time to grow and prosper. 

If we only share our victories with others then we prevent them from seeing the beauty of the struggle. People need to see our hardships, and how we overcome them. And we need to realize that whether or not someone shares their trials, does not change the fact that they still went through them. 

So often people comment that they admire my strength and wish they could be more like me. Having an easy life, however, did not develop my strength. It comes from crawling through the trenches with my Lord. 

When we compare ourselves to others we take away from our uniqueness, and are distracted from our own journey. Don’t try to be like anyone else. Just be you! And be the absolute best possible version of yourself. 

Photo courtesy of Unsplash.

God has a plan for your life. Embrace it. And enjoy the journey. 

May God bless you, 

Candida

Why You Should Develop the Attitude of Gratitude

Do you feel gratitude in the depths of your heart and soul? Or is it something you merely say? 

It’s so easy to go through life, quickly moving from one moment to the next, without really thinking about each moment. We have what we need, and a great deal of what we want, and never stop to think about where it all comes from or to be truly grateful. 

Lots of times we develop the entitled mind-set, instead one of gratitude.

We expect to be happy, wealthy, and wise and get angry with God when it doesn’t work out, as we had envisioned. 

I remember the days when I struggled to walk. It was so hard for me to get out of bed, and even harder to walk through my house. I can honestly say that I didn't appreciate my ability to walk, until it was challenged. It was the same way with my speech. When I could barely get the words out of my mouth, I became so thankful for each one. Lying in bed for months gave me some time to think about my life. 

I soon realized that I could develop the attitude of gratitude or self-pity, but I could not have both. We can praise God or complain, but we cannot do both. 

Every morning when I woke up, right away my mind started searching for things and moments of gratitude. As my list grew, so did my ability to see my life through the lens of thankfulness. I had less to complain about because I was so focused on my blessings. And when I started digging deeper into my blessings, the more aware I became of God mercy’s and love for me. 

My perspective on many situations and circumstances changed. Especially when I really focused on my blessing. It’s one thing to be blessed, and another to realized the magnitude of those blessings. 

Imagine giving to someone constantly, but never receiving any type of thankfulness from that person. How would it make you feel? God wants us to recognize and celebrate the goodness in our life. He doesn’t like it when we complain endlessly, and only focus on the bad. 

Developing and nurturing the attitude of gratitude will help us to break the complaining cycle. 

We often complain, without even realizing that we are complaining. It's a habit that we need to become more aware of and break. (I’m still trying to break this habit.)Focusing on the bad is a recipe for disaster. The more we embrace bad thoughts, the more bad thoughts we have. The same is true for positive thoughts. Everyday we have a choice. We get to decide which ones we will nurture and which ones to dismiss. 

According to Dr. Robert Emmon's, people who are practice the attitude of gratitude are happier than those who don’t. Check out his article 10 Ways to Become More Grateful. 

Once this scar was so devastating to me. People often stare at it and even tell me to remove the rubber band from my arm before it hurts me. For many years, I tried to pray this scar away without realizing the blessing it symbolizes. The band threatened to take away my arm, but God spared it.  Now I am so grateful for this scar. It reminds me daily of His love and mercy for me. 

So what are you waiting for? Start practicing gratefulness today and allow it to change your life.  

Have a wonderful Monday!

May God bless you, 

Candida

Scars and Stares: How to Overcome Living With Scars

People stare at me. Some drop my change in horror and others pity me. But the rude questions and comments are by far the hardest to endure. One person asked me how I could love a God that had done this to me. A stranger told me that if her baby was like me and had Amniotic Band Syndrome, she would abort it. Moments like these are hard to endure. I’ve lashed out with anger, and shot daggers out my eyes. I’ve had my heart blessed numerous times, and cried many tears because of the cruelty of others. But at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter what other people think of me. It’s how I view myself that matters.

For so many years, I hid my scars. I didn’t want anyone to stare at me, question me, or even know about my differences. Somewhere along the way, a sense of shame had overcome me. When I looked in the mirror, all I could see was scars. I expected people to stare at me and I watched for those stares. Then the most amazing thing happened to me.

God helped me to overcome my scars. Accept them. Love them. And, finally, embrace them.

It happened the moment I realized that I could have died. Some babies don’t survive the attack of the amniotic bands. But I was spared for a reason. God gave me my scars for a purpose. Acceptance is a powerful gift. Now my scars no longer have the ability to hurt me.

People are always going to stare at me, but I’ve stopped looking for those stares. It doesn’t matter to me. Let them stare. I truly hope, while I have their undivided attention that I can give them a glimpse of my Lord. When people ask me numerous questions, I desire to tell them about my wonderful God and how good He is to me. When strangers approach me, I hope that I can give them a glimpse of the person underneath the scars. In God’s eyes we are all the same, and He loves us.

I can’t change the behavior of others. Regardless of what I do, I can’t stop someone was staring at me or lashing out with cruel words. I can, however, choose how I react to it. Kindness is a universal language. Perhaps it will have no influence on the person treating me badly, but it will have a profound effect on me.

We should all learn to accept and embrace our own differences and uniqueness as a gift from God. Outwardly we might have a different appearance, or different gifts, but our spirit is the same. We are like God because He lives in us.  And we need to love ourselves—always.

We need to treat others the way we want to be treated. I’ve had people call me disabled to my face and say things like, ‘It’s really great that you can do that with your disability’. At first it was extremely hard for me. Now I know if someone treats me badly, it is a reflection of them not me. And instead of getting mad at them, I should pray for them.

So how do I wish people would treat me? What do I want them to know about living with scars caused by Amniotic Band Syndrome?

Honestly, I wish that more people would look beyond my scars and see me. Underneath the scars is someone who loves God, family, friends, and life. My life has been filled with pain, but also the overcoming of it. I am not a victim, but an overcomer. Some days I feel overwhelmed by trying to adapt to this world, but so grateful for my beautiful life. Sometimes I cry through my workouts, but I don’t complain. I pray every day because I couldn’t make it without my Lord, and I want to thank Him for always helping me. Given the choice, I wouldn’t trade my scars for anything in this world. They have taught me through my weakness that God is my strength. Regardless of the battle, giving up is never an option. I am capable of so much more than I ever realized. Being scarred has taught me about kindness and compassion, and how to treat other people.

When people look at me, I hope that they see a window to God. Through my life, overcoming the struggles and pain, I hope to shine a light to Him. I desire to reflect His goodness and help others who are struggling. In all reality, I am an ambassador for God. Through my life, hope, and faith, I desire to give others a glimpse of my wonderful God. And maybe, just maybe they will give their heart to Him as well.

When I reflect on all He has blessed me to overcome and all of the amazing blessings He has given me, I know that there is absolutely nothing missing in my life. I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. God formed me exactly how He wanted me to be, and I am satisfied with being me. My friends, I pray that you will accept your own scars, love them, and embrace them. Without my scars, none of these wonderful opportunities would have been possible. 

May God bless you,

Candida