Chapter 41 #2
“My name is Everly London Haley Rowen, and I want to start off by thanking all of you for your generosity and support. I’d also like to extend my sincere appreciation on behalf of my entire family for your attendance at such an important occasion.
I’d like to tell you a little about the center’s namesake, my grandmother, Kaylynn London.
Kay, as we called her, was outspoken, opinionated, compassionate, and wise.
She was a remarkable woman, as anyone who knew her can attest to.
Some of the most important words she ever said are written on these walls, and I encourage you to read them and consider what they mean to you.
“Grandma Kay had a sturdy front door on her house, and one day, when she wasn’t particularly happy with her hand of cards, she decided to paint that door red.
In painting the door, she found peace with the events that plagued her and most importantly, with herself.
She passed that door painting on to me, and every time my heart was heavy, together, we’d paint the door.
My loving and dearest friend, Gwen Bryant, can tell you that for a long time, we truly believed that door had magical healing powers.
” I smile at Gwen and she wipes a tear from her cheek.
Cooper squeezes her arm as he nods to me.
“After a while,” I continue, “I believed that the real magic lay solely in my grandmother herself through her words, her constant support, and the love she had for everyone she ever knew. But I was wrong.
“I spent the majority of the first part of my life chasing and being chased. But I never really understood what I was running to and running from, until many years later. When I would look in the mirror, I would only see my reflection. And to be honest, I hated her. She represented pain, loss and failure. I couldn’t stand her because deep down inside I truly believed that the girl in that mirror would never be enough.
“She wasn’t good enough. She wasn’t fast enough.
Then, she wasn’t brave enough or smart enough.
As she grew and society aided in her misconceptions, she believed she wasn’t pretty enough, skinny enough, or popular enough.
As she matured, she found herself believing she wasn’t good enough to be loved.
She wasn’t enough of a wife, a mother, a friend, or a daughter.
She truly believed when she looked into that mirror, she would always see nothing but flaws, mistakes, and failure.
“Then one day, when she was at the end of her rope and she thought she had played her last card, an angel named Kaylynn London stepped into the mirror with her and forced her to look past her own reflection and see, really see, what was hiding under all her self-hate.
Day by day, with persistence, love, and encouragement, she was able to discern that there was more in that mirror than she realized.
That staring back at her was someone who wanted to be loved.
But not by another person. She wanted to be loved by herself.
“When she… when I learned to love myself, my cards didn’t seem so bad anymore.
The clouds didn’t hover directly over my head, and every day seemed a little brighter.
It didn’t happen overnight. It took time and patience.
I was one of the lucky ones. I had people who loved and supported me even when I didn’t love and support myself.
But as soon as I started to love me again, I was able to see why someone else might love me too.
” I glance over at Nick. He moves his hand to his heart.
“When I felt I had nowhere to turn, Kay reminded me there was something around every bend. When I thought my life was over, she reminded me that tomorrow was a bright and better place to be. I found my own magic. It wasn’t in a red door, and it wasn’t even in an angel.
It was inside of me the entire time. I just had to love myself to let it out.
“And so tonight, as we officially open the Kaylynn London Center for Women, I have a message, not just for every woman, but every wonderful person who hears my voice. You are enough. I challenge you to look deeply inside the mirror and even more inside yourself and see you for who you really are. You’re not flawed; you’re unique.
You’re not failing; you’re learning. You’re not just moving forward; you’re growing.
Each and every part of you is beautiful, because there’s only…
one… you. So accept yourself, love yourself, and allow yourself to accept love in return.
“What a wonderful world it would be if we could accept ourselves for who we are instead of who we think we should be. In honor of my grandmother and all the love she gave and all the hope she inspired, I officially open the Kaylynn London Center for Women. To offer hope where there is none, light where there is darkness, and acceptance in her name and in her memory. Thank you.”
As the crowd applauds, Nick joins me to cut the ribbon.
He reaches out his hand and touches my stomach before his lips press to mine.
After I shake a few hands, I take a step down and turn to face the mirror on the wall.
Nick steps down and shakes the hand of a man behind me.
I stare lovingly at his reflection and then at my own.
“I am enough,” I whisper to the girl in the mirror, and she believes it.