Oh, sweetie, no doubts at all. We'll announce the winners on May 26 on the Owning Pink Facebook page, which is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Owning-Pink/91006756755?ref=ts

You're all winners in my book. Great stories.

i know i am sorta pestering but when are the winners 4 this contest going 2 be announced?

Three weeks ago, my son’s father decided he wanted to leave me. Truthfully, when I look back now, I realize he had left me a long time ago. But hearing him say the actual words initially crushed me. Aside from the blow to my self esteem, the thought of having to raise my son alone overwhelmed me. How would I feed him, take care of him? Where would we go? With no money saved and only a part time job to support us, I felt as if we could never survive.

After a few days of loathing and feeling sorry for myself, I began to face reality. When my mind was finally ready to picture myself as a single mother, all kinds of possibilities spread out before me. I could see my son and I in our own apartment, playing and laughing again. I envisioned myself as a strong and independent woman, perfectly capable of juggling a full time job and taking care of my child. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but sometimes the sweetest rewards are those that are the hardest to obtain.

The past two weeks I have spent regaining my strength by taking back control of my life, piece by piece. Each day I set a new goal for myself and work toward it. My son is my guide through my new journey as a single mom. Every step I take in building our new life is with his future in mind. Today I feel more empowered than I ever have before, knowing that I can live my life however I choose, raising my son however I see fit. There is no one else to answer to but me, and that is how I’m getting my mojo back.

To begin, I want to say that I have always been a (quietly) headstrong and independent soul. Not outspoken, just did what I felt was right or needed to do. Just before my 17th birthday, I left home, finished high-school while living with a friend, and left to back-pack and hitchhike the US. Already in love with nature, I fell in love deeper and chose to spent most of my time in national parks, etc. Okay, so imagine my surprise, when, after moving to Austin Texas, I fall in love with a mysterious, artsy, very intelligent man (boy?). I knew as soon as I met him that he would change my life. Me, being very much a romantic, just assumed that it would be fabulous. The is romance, there is drama, we date, we move in together way to soon. We have a baby (my ever amazing son!!!). He doesn't get along with my friends, so I isolate myself, as my world is becoming completely enmeshed in his. This is the beginning of losing my soul. I gave it willingly. He controls my life, is obsessed with everything I do. I can't even look towards a young man without him freaking out (even if that young man is my checker at the grocery store). He undermines every time I strive to move forward. I enroll in school, he tells me I'm not smart enough. (I was a straight A student, btw). I'm not interesting enough, pretty enough, glamorous enough, smart enough...etc. It's not like he directly told me all of this, it was constant subtle emotional abuse and manipulation, under the cover of being "in love" with me. I know how strange that sounds as I write it.I justify all of the behavior, think if I try hard enough that "love" will conquer all. My parents went through a very difficult time and made it, why can't I?. I finally muster some strength and move out. But can't untangle myself... we spend the next two years going back and forth- he goes to great lengths to woo me back and then once I am, back to the same old story above. I am at this point, emotionally dead. I stop journaling and drawing in my sketchbooks, I am like a husk, soulless. And yet I have this young son who needs a mother. One day, after wrestling with the "should I stay or go" for the billionth time, I have an epiphany. I picture myself 25yrs into the future. I see two versions of her: 1) the woman who has stayed by "her man". She is exhausted and resentful and has accomplished little in her life. 2) the woman who chose to leave. for good. she tells me that this is just another human story, that it won't matter in the future, I will get through and LIVE, and become vibrant in accomplishing my dreams. I listened to her. I left for good. And the guilt came pouring down with phrases hurled at me like "you broke up our family and you deserve this". But soon, the truth came out- I'm not exactly sure how, but I learned about all of the other things my ex-partner had been up too. All of the women, and the manipulation and the lies. What should have been a celebration of strength for me became a very dark period to walk through. I was so angry, just furious. I wanted to hurt him so badly. I finally began therapy to work through this, because I just couldn't handle all of the emotions myself. The light was at the end of the tunnel, though. I took a break from being a biology/botany major at school (I love science and nature, but was really just doing this to be practical) I became a massage therapist. Was able to earn some money to have my own wonderful place and go back to school the earn the degree I always dreamed about since I was 5. My BFA in studio art. I got my strength back, my creativity back, my life back. I met the most amazing man who is now my partner of almost 5years. It is an incredibly supportive and loving relationship and I am eternally grateful for this blessing. I have my soul back, ten-fold! So, looking back, I still feel some pain (and probably always will), but the anger and resentment is gone. In not loving me, my ex-partner taught me how I wanted to love and be loved. Taught me the example I really wanted to have and to be for my son, and through it all, I gained the strength to go after my dreams with intention and fire. I stand tall now, know that while in no way am I the perfect person or parent, I can say that I know myself and am able show my son the way to treat a woman and to respect her. I could go on and on and on! But I think this gets the general story across :).

Thank you, Jayne

Well this is a story about me living through a death of a great woman with breast cancer. I lost a lot of my great bubbly happiness when she left this world. But after awhile i thought about where she was. I then knew that where she was was a better place and that i would see her again. Right after her death i began to think and think about death and weather it was a good or bad thing. I then changed a lot of who i was and actually became a better person. So after this whole thing i decided that death wasn't bad or good it was just a huge change. I then knew that i was going to be okay and that that wonderful person was going to be okay too. Now looking back at it i see that living through that whole experience was just the universe's way of telling me "it was time for a change in your life" but i guess that, that wasn't the way i was expecting it. My experience has made me a better person and taut me how to live. Especially since i have an extremely high risk for having the disease myself, but i usually forget about that and just live my life one day at a time not planning it out and just letting what happens happen. I am now a better person and hope to have other changes in the future just hopefully not as bad as loosing the ones i love. The name of the woman was Julian Moon Rest in peace and her whole family hopes she is having a great time wherever she may be.