A Love Letter to Myself

By Dr. Sharitta Gross

There you are. Smile as wide as arms outstretched with love, feet firmly planted on the ground reclaiming your space. Relax your guard and come sit with me, as I want to tell you about some of things that I love about you…

Did you know that when you were little, your favorite song was ‘Reach out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)’? You would belt it out during the benediction at church, squeezing your Grandma Ella’s hand as tight as you could. Even at a young age, you realized the importance of relationships and being there for others. As you grew older, the generosity of your heart and the patient nature you have were of disservice on more than one occasion. This is the part of life where you apply the principle that although you can’t control the music, you can control the choreography. Let God order your steps, continuing to serve your community and the people therein. A genuine desire to consider service of others before self is not as common as you might think, so periodically your intent may be questioned. As tempting as it may be to verbally retort, let your work speak for you instead.

Remain fearless about all that matters to you, from equity in education to mentoring of youth to travel to experiencing great food. All these things have their place under the sun and feed different parts of you. Be sure to take time to do that—feed different parts of you. Self-care is important and you will be of no good to anyone if you don’t address what you need to holistically replenish and refresh.

Speaking of parts—see the way your body is changing? No, not just because of COVID-19, sweetie, but because you are happier than you have ever been. Embrace it and do not for one second feel embarrassed by it. It is the body that God meant for you to have. And let love have its way. Happy looks good on you.

And lastly, daily, I need you to believe in yourself the way you believe in God…because you are enough and always have been. Just as you are, Sharitta.
 

Sharitta Gross is a proud Rochester native raised on the west side of the city. She is currently the Vice-Chair of the Cheryl Speranza Leadership Institute.
This past May she changed her title to ‘Doctor,’ receiving her doctorate of Education from St. John Fishers’ Executive Leadership program.
She plans to find creative ways to elevate her research on academically successful undergraduate Black males in STEM disciplines at a predominately White institution to leave the field of education, her community and the world a little better than she found it. All this while living her absolute best life and traveling when she can to create new memories with family and loved ones!