Juleeta C. Harvey

Empowering Women to Believe Body Truth

Bodytruth: A New Way

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Here’s to summer, splashing wildly in new waters! Thanks for capturing this image, @dankapeter.

I probably should not do this, but I’m going to give it a try.

I’ve been saying that alot lately.

But I can’t get this new word out of my mind.  It keeps poking at me like a teenage boy, always hungry and refusing to be satisfied unless I respond.  In the past, I have been quick to respond, staying up all night to find a solution to a problem, a satisfactory reply to the new idea rattling in my head.

However, writing the book proposal has been a call to slow down and think differently.  Lately, writing has been less like a frenzied response to a craving and more like the slow opening of an oyster shell.

The outside of the oyster, covered in sand, barely protrudes from the coastal surface.  But once the beachcomber picks up her newly found treasure and cleanses it in the ocean’s incoming waves, the shell’s surface glimmers iridescent patterns — lavender, bright blues and subtle pinks.

And then begins the anticipation.  [Read more…] about Bodytruth: A New Way

The First Step to Making Any Change

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Taken as Sue’s, this image reminds me that timely change spurs beauty.

Change is happening here.

I have been writing about Seeking God’s Truth about Body Image for a year and a half. Crafting these stories has empowered me to believe something new.

I was meant to write.

I know this because when I am not writing, I’m not myself.

Myself is this girl with whom I’ve become more intimately acquainted over the last few years. After having spent some real time with her lately, I believe I’m starting to like her.

Sometimes she laughs for too long, and recently, her loud cackle has [Read more…] about The First Step to Making Any Change

Loving the Mom Body I Have : How Color Helped Me See My Body Anew

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When I catch a sideways glance at myself, sometimes it’s just after coming out of the shower on the way to my closet. Most of my body is exposed.  Under my eyelids and around my hippy section, I see evidence that my Mommy body is changing. Yes, as we grow up, our bodies prove that no living thing is exempt from the effects of the universe’s gravitational pull.

Bu more often than not, when I see my reflection staring back from the mirror’s glimpse, I am not so exposed.  I have dressed for the morning, or maybe even for the day ahead, and I see myself clothed.  Sometimes, I celebrate very simple accomplishments.  I changed out of my pajamas…into my favorite sweatpants.  And then there are days that I discipline myself to pull up my favorite jeans and choose a happy pair of earrings to accompany my grey V-neck.  With or without makeup to brighten my skin tone, at least I’ve chosen to get dressed.

To be completely honest, I’ve noticed the clothes I’m wearing predispose how I see myself in the day ahead. Why is this the case?

I think this is true, not just for me, but for most of us: The clothes we wear impact how we feel about our bodies.

Specifically, the color and style of the clothes we wear impact how we feel about our bodies.

Over the last year, I have scrutinized the process of “knowing your colors.” After witnessing a dozen or so friends complete their color analysis with House of Colour, I can say this.  It’s not hogwash.  I’m not rolling my eyes when I hear them mention buying something from their color palette. I’ve seen them simplify and simultaneously improve their wardrobes after having completed the analysis. It’s proven.  By knowing their colors, these women know how to do the work that leads to loving what is in your closet.

And you know what?  They’re not enjoying the clothes in their closets more because they lost weight.  Not one of them is shopping better because she suddenly has more glamourous facial features or a fresh, younger-looking hairstyle.

What has each woman chosen to do?  She has chosen to invest in Herself — without changing any thing about her body.  [Read more…] about Loving the Mom Body I Have : How Color Helped Me See My Body Anew

What Do We Tell the Next Generation?

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Palm branches and truth celebrate Easter. I LOVE the images from this photographer, @anniespratt .

What do we tell the next generation?

Psalm 78:4 guides us gently into the right answer.

“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, the wonders he has done.”

In these last few months, I am listening more than I ever have.

New stories have humbled and challenged me.  Some stories are from teenage girls, others are spoken from the voices of exhausted young mothers, and even more are emerging from women, single and married, who are carrying heavy work hours and serving in their communities.  I have made new friends with women I would have never known, and their stories are the jewels that sparkle Hope in this season of writing and sharing. [Read more…] about What Do We Tell the Next Generation?

#goaftertheone

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This single chair, standing alone, doesn’t necessarily look comfortable. But it is striking. And just plain pretty.

The most authentic worship I’ve been apart of, probably since college, has taken place at our Recovery meetings on Thursday nights.

Maybe it’s the smaller group, intimate and so many open chairs.

Some of the authenticity probably springs from the group joining together in unity, repeating The Serenity Prayer as we close the evening.  Each of us reads, longing to believe God’s faithfulness to His very broken people.  There is power in speaking it aloud, every time.

 

But I think that the authenticity of Thursday nights is built on the premise that we all come so real, with so few expectations.  Music and lyrics meld together [Read more…] about #goaftertheone

Living in My Best Beachbody

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The beachfront view from our room, where the ocean meets the sky.

 

Beachbody is a word, ya’ll.

When I typed the two words, “beach body,” in the space offered by social media’s detective magnifying glass, the Internet offered a few responses like what I expected.

But I admit, I was surprised to see that “beachbody” actually functions like a single noun, all by itself. At least it exists in the Google search engine and various social media outlets. What does that mean for healthy body image? [Read more…] about Living in My Best Beachbody