Juleeta C. Harvey

Empowering Women to Believe Body Truth

Moms and Daughters

Dear Mrs. Swift,

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Dear Mrs. Swift,

I have been thinking a lot about you this last week.  I am one of many who have followed numerous updates detailing your daughter’s recent legal battle.  I am a mother of five young sons and do not have daughters of my own. And still I have pondered what it must be like for you, her mother, to hurt for her and empathize with her and stand strong behind her in the face of a very public court case detailing sexual assault.

As do many mothers who stand alongside me in this journey of raising children, I applaud you for being the kind of woman who has made herself available to walk intimately with her daughter.  [Read more…] about Dear Mrs. Swift,

Rocky Roads

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This bus is very much like the one we loaded on our way to a remote Honduran village, the summer of 1994.  No wonder the ride was scary. 

The open air bus slung us left and right, and we pushed hard down on the flats of our feet to steady ourselves.  Gravel roads, rutted and bumpy, bounced us up and down.  As I gripped the nearest railing, we seemingly leaned out over the mountain’s edge, the bus careening around sharp corners. [Read more…] about Rocky Roads

Mom Body

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Caroline Kennedy has compiled a divine collection of poems in this anthology. She has thoughtfully chosen poetry selections that are engaging and refreshing; I have reread this one over and over. 

The following poem, “Ode,” was written by Elizabeth Alexander. Alongside Maya Angelou, she is arguably the most prolific African American female poet of our time. In this poem, she affirms truth about women, specifically mothers — about who we are and what we do.

[Read more…] about Mom Body

Motherhood: How Did I Get Here?

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These pages belong to a children’s book that I found neatly tucked away in the antique cedar chest that sits at the foot of my bed.  The chest still carries the fragrance of my Mamaw and stores a collection of newspaper clippings and photos. These remnants tell my father’s story, beginning at the time he landed in the states in 1955. I love that this excerpt reveals where I am in the season of parenting with my almost teenager.

This Mother’s Day morning, I savored a delicious breakfast as the awakening Texas sun poured radiance on the patio of my favorite restaurant. [Read more…] about Motherhood: How Did I Get Here?