Just as I Am is my truth。 It is me， plain and unvarnished， with the glitter and garland set aside。 Here， I am indeed Cicely， the actress who has been blessed to grace the stage and screen for six decades。 Yet I am also the church girl who once rarely spoke a word。 I am the teenager who sought solace in the verses of the old hymn for which this book is named。 I am a daughter and mother， a sister， and a friend。 I am an observer of human nature and the dreamer of audacious dreams。 I am a woman who has hurt as immeasurably as I have loved， a child of God divinely guided by His hand。 And here in my ninth decade， I am a woman who， at long last， has something meaningful to say。