Let Your Tears Heal You

Whether tears of joy or pain, give yourself permission to cry.

Hey Family!

Any crybabies in the “house”?

🙋🏾‍♀️ Yep, me too.

I recently learned that my book, Black Joy, won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work-Instruction and when I tell you I’ve been in tears for well over a week now?! Whew! I’ve totally felt the release of two decades of my hard work as a writer. And yes, there is a part of me that says “Girl, pull it together! Stop all that crying!” But I’ve come to realize that this part is simply enacting the false notion that I, as a Black woman, have to present as strong and unmovable all the time.

That ain’t it.

So many of us are afraid or ashamed of our tears. We mistakenly believe they are a sign of weakness OR we try to control the timing of them.

Nope. Tears are healing. They often are a sign that something—joy or pain—needs to be released. Emotion absolutely can become stuck in the body and one of the best escape routes is through our tears.

So let them flow. No matter when or where they show up. Whether a silent race down your cheeks or a full out wail, allow your tears to be the cleansing, healing agents they are.

Love y’all. 💜

-tmlg