Day16+17+18- God's Love

God's love.

How can it be explained? It is so huge and wonderful and beyond description.

He could have forced us to love Him, but then that wouldn't really be love would it.

Instead He pursues us and gives us with everything- Himself.

There on the cross the God of the Universe died, arms outstretched, taking our sin and calling for us to come to Him.

God's love is freely given, undeserved, unrestrained, complete, and cannot be earned. Nothing, not even sending His Son to the cross, is to costly to show His love.

And what does he get in return?

"He gets adopted children who are petty, petulant, spoiled, demanding, argumentative, mistrusting, angry, critical and an irritant to everyone but God... Nevertheless, our God bought us with an infinite price and intends on seeing us crowned with His very glory. Is is any wonder that Paul shouts at the top of His lungs, :I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long, and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses all knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Eph. 3:17-19) Paul prays that I will know the unknowable love and be so full of God that I achieve dimensions of being that reflect the boundlessness of God." -Dan B. Allender

 (quote found in Becoming a Woman of Purpose by Cynthia Heald)

That is also my prayer for both you and me- that we may know God and His love, though they are too great to understand, more and more fully and be filled to the overflowing with His love, grace and joy.

See the rest of the 31 Days here.

Day 15- Pray for your husband

I found this great illustration on Pinterest which coincides with a book i have been reading- The Power of a Praying Wife. I believe every woman should pray through this book! Prayer is so important in relationships, and as women, wives, it is our duty and joy to pray for our husbands and our relationships to them. 

One of the most poignant things I learned from this book is that I can't do the work of the Holy Spirit. Duh right? But think about it, how often do we try to change them on our own? Tears, nagging, getting angry- while not always intentional it happens- but those things don't work. God works. He is powerful and knows our husbands more deeply then we ever could. Prayer is our connection to God and in our prayers for our husbands we are also grown and changed by God. What a blessing!

See the rest of 31 Days here.

Day 11- Draw Near

This morning I got to chat with my momma on the phone for a little over an hour. It is always so good to talk with her. She is fun and encouraging and very wise. One topic that came up was our various Bible times for this morning. I want to share some of her insight on a well known verse...

this is my pretty momma and me.

James 4:7-8

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you..."

Momma talked about how a lot of people will only focus on one part of this verse, just submitting or just resisting, or just drawing, but we need all the parts.

The verse before this section says, "God is opposed to the proud, but gves grace to the humble. Submit therefore to God."  I know it is hard, but God really does know what He is doing, and besides who are we to question Him? Submit therefore to God. (submit means to relinquish your control, give it up, humble yourself.)

When we submit to God it also means we need to resist the devil and his temptations. We can't obey God and fall into sin, but "No temptation has overtaken you but such that is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are capable, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." (1 Cor. 10:13) Temptation is not sin. Sin is when you give in to temptation. The devil can only tempt us as far as God will let him and when we don't fall, he has to flee.

To draw near to God we have to submit to Him and resist the devil, to resist the devil we need to submit to God and be close to Him (to rely on His strength), to submit to God we have to draw near to Him and resist the devil.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." That is what I am attempting to do this month, draw near to God and be still in His presence.

See the other 31 Days HERE.

Day 10- God's Glory

As I mentioned before, this morning I made the effort to get up early enough to have quiet time with the Lord before classes. I am so glad I did. I not only got to be in His Word but I had time for breakfast and it set a great happy tone to my entire day. I'm going to do it tomorrow to!

This morning I worked on about half of the first chapter of "Becoming a Woman of Purpose" entitled "God's Purpose: A people that will reflect His glory. It certainly makes sense that to more fully know our own purpose we would want to know God's purpose first since He is the one who gives us our purpose.

God is perfect, holy and wonderful. He created us with the general purpose of bringing Him glory. Part of that is how He saved us and wants a personal relationship with Him.

Think about it: this amazing God, THE God of the universe, who is perfect and all knowing wants a relationship with little, tiny, imperfect sinful ME! That is something worth praising Him for, worth living for, something worth centering our purpose around.

Here are some verses from my morning study about God's glory:

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. -Psalm 19:1

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory because of your lovingkindness, because of your truth. -Psalm 115:1

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 
-1 Cor. 10:31  

But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in truth. It was for this He called you through our [the apostles] gospel, that you may gain the glory of Christ. -2 Thes. 2:13-14

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession. -Titus 2:11-14 

I heard this song {Amazed by Kutless} on the radio driving home today. Listen and worship!

 

See the rest of the 31 Days Here.

Day 8- Wherever You Are

Living in the moment has always been a problem for me. I'm a planner. I love to think about the next fun thing and plan it,  I obsess over know what my day tomorrow will look like, I like to know what's going on when and how we are going to get there, do it and all that jazz. This is a good thing, to an extent.

I often miss out in the now, and then miss it later. For instance, right now I am in my last semester of college, I don't know what I'm going to do with my major and I am SO ready to be done with school. I'm ready to know where we will be for next school year (when Jeff starts grad school), where we'll work, where we'll live. I'm just ready for the next step!

I have to remind my self to slow down and enjoy where I am at. I am taking some fantastic classes and if I'm not "all there" I'll miss out on the fun and the important learning experiences. If I'm too focused on the future I'll miss out on college, the friends, activities, campus life and I know that I will miss this time of life badly.

You would think after years and years of dealing with this problem I'd have it worked out, but no. It is hard to just trust the future to God and be in the moment.

It's Monday night and I'm procrastinating on writing a paper (a short paper) for my Russian Literature class, but here is my goal for this week- Wherever I am, to be all there. Whether its in class, doing homework, at work, spending time with Jeff or just relaxing, I'm going to be in the moment and trust the future to God.

You're prayers would be appreciated! And with that said, I'm going to go write my paper.

See the rest of my 31 Days Here.

Day 5- Purpose

Have you ever wondered- why am I here? What's my purpose?

I have.

John Piper says it well...

The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.

I've never really understood the "religious" practices of denying/emptying of natural human desires. Weren't we given these desire for a reason? The need for love, accomplishment, recognition, joy, fun, and many other desires are easily corrupted but in God they are good.

God is Love.

Working for the Lord accomplishes His perfect plan.

We will share in Christ's glory.

In Christ their is joy in good and bad times.

God created the platypus-what's more funny or playful than a platypus?

Today (tonight) be still in His presence and ENJOY Him. We are building stronger relationships with Him-what is friendship, relationship, without love and enjoyment?

But how do you enjoy God?

Reflect on your blessings and thank Him for them.

Enjoy His creation.

Enjoy His gifts in a spirit of thankfulness. 

 

See the rest of the 31 Day Posts Here.

Day 3- God's Beauty

Fall is probably my favorite season for many reasons: Pumpkin lattes, pumpkins too, the delicious crisp smell in the air, new school supplies, etc.

But the thing I love best about Fall is how beautiful the trees get. The leaves start changing color and then the wind picks them up and tosses them in a rainbow of natural confetti. It is so beautiful.

Isn't creation beautiful? Isn't God beautiful?

Today I just want to reflect on His beauty, which is often revealed to us through His creation. And think of this-His creation is only a shadow of His glory!

Thank God today and worship Him in His beauty and power.

Here are some images that brought me to thank God for His beauty:

Read the rest of my 31 Days series Here.

Be Still- Day 2: Prayer

This last Sunday's sermon we went over Colossians 4:2 which says

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.

So i got to thinking about how thankful I've been lately, and how much I've actually been praying...

Praying is so easy, it's simply talking to God. So you'd think I'd be better about talking to the One who loves me more than I can dream possible. The Almighty God, maker of the heavens, the earth, mountains, rivers, animals, me, wants me to talk with Him.

It's so lame to say the reason...I get busy, I forget to pray, to be thankful. Oh, and when I do pray, it isn't always with an "attitude of thanks." I can be really selfish and bratty toward God. 

And yet, He still loves me.

 This little quote on Pinterest got me thinking:

Things I'm thankful for:

My husband, home, friends, my family and extended family, a warm day, ability to go to college, a warm sunny day, a good job, freedom to say things like this, freedom to worship God without fear of violent persecution, food in the fridge, gas in the car, pumpkin lattes, laughter, friends getting engaged, owning my own Bible, going to a Christian college, knowing that I am saved-a child of the Most High God.

There are so many things I am thankful for, things I need to thank God for and remember how He provides when I need an "attitude of thanks." 

What are you thankful for? How can I pray for you?

Day 1: Be Still

Psalm 46:10

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations,I will be exalted in the earth."

I think a good way to start off these 31 days would be to do a quick study of the inspiration verse above.

If you are going through this month with me, I encourage you to grab your Bible now or Google Psalm 46 and read it entirely. It's only 11 verses long, nice and short. We'll do it together, ready go.................

To really know what the meaning of a verse is we need to read it in context- that's why we just read all of chapter 46. I see three main sections in this verse:

First: verses 1-3: talks about not fearing because the Lord is our "refuge and strength." in other words the Lord's protection.

Second: Verses 4-7; This part is a little weird at first. There's this river, and then the earth is melted. Whaaa? Really this section is using poetic language (the Psalms are poetry bytheway) to show us the Lord's presence. He is in His Holy City, He is helping, protecting, He is there.

Third: Verses 8-11.This part shows God's might. He always wins His battles.This is showing the Lord's preeminence. (preeminence: simple definition: having the highest rank, honor, dignity, importance)

 To fully understand the meaning of truth of a verse we have to set it in it's original historical context as well.The Psalms were used for Hebrew worship and private devotions, they show a vast range of human emotion and experience all while praising God and acknowledging His power, greatness and love. Psalm 46 then is observing and telling the Israelite people that the peace and security of their nation was because of God. We all know that the Israelite nation has not always been at peace- this is because they broke their covenant with God. (see Exodus 19:5-6) Though this isn't a direct promise to believers today the principle and truth behind this passage are applicable to us.

Principles and Truths:

God is with us. (Matthew 28:20)

He is our protector. (John 10:27-29)

He is trustworthy. (John 14:1)

Therefore, because He is our protector, because He is always with us, and because He is above all others, we can be still (or cease striving) and know that He is God.

Application: Today I have been all too busy, striving with life, striving with work, striving with school, striving with God even. Go, go, go. Do, Do, Do. I need to cool it. I need to slow down, spend time in the Lord's presence. I need to Be Still, meditate on His word, and Know that He is God. He'll protect and provide for me, I don't need to worry. I don't have to work for His love and presence, He's already here.

That is what this month is about: slowing down and actually taking the time to study, meditate (think about and fill yourself with) on the Word, and get to Know God in a deeper way.

Are you ready to Know the Lord? I am. 

See the other 31 Days Here.

For this study I used Libronix Digital Library. It's a fantastic Bible study tool. It was a required "text" for my school and SO worth the money put in to it!

Life is like...

"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."         -Forrest Gump

Taken over a year ago on a family vacation. BTW, i LOVE shrimp!

I love that movie. (Forrest Gump is a must see if you haven't already!) There is so much to think about in one two hour film. Parenting, bullies, friendship, schooling, war, social fads, sports, relationships, death, new life and of course love.

When Jeff and I watched it tonight the quote above got me thinking- do really not know what you are going to get? Are our lives simply left to fate and the which chocolate piece we unknowingly pick out of the box?

There is some truth to fate/destiny I think, at least in our not knowing what the future holds. We can't with absolute certainty say that  in 5 years we'll own our own home, or even that tomorrow I will be in class. Of course I plan on being in class and I really do want to be there but things can happen-alarms don't go off, flat tires, traffic, accidents. Life certainly does hold the unexpected and it is silly of us to think that we can control our lives completely. 

It would also be silly to think that we are robots and have no control over our lives. We choose what we wear, where we go, what we say and how we react to life. Our decisions result in consequences, good or bad, and it is our choice which way to go.

It is said that the only things that are certain in life are death and taxes. I can add another thing to that list: God's love and perfect plan are certain. Even though I don't know what I'm gonna get, God does "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) God has a plan for my life. My choices will effect how I get to His final destination, but I'll get there because another thing I am absolutely certain of is my life will end in my entrance into heaven.

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." (Philippians 1:6)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

"Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and he will help you." (Psalm 37:5)

Advice from a Newlywed

It's been a little over a year since I said I do to my high school sweetheart. (Read our engagement story here. Read about our wedding by clicking on the "Our Wedding" tab above.) Planning my own wedding and also helping a few friends in the last year has given me some insights I thought I should share. I don't claim to know everything, but here are some things I have learned.

 1. Don't freak out in the first week or two about planning. Your engaged! Enjoy it! Just think about the big picture for a while and enjoy the happy butterflies!

2. Get a good planning book (and/or get a wedding planner if your budget allows)

3. One of the first things you should figure out is your budget.

4. Another thing is to decide first what is most important to you, such as photography, flowers, your dress, etc, and put those as top priority in your budget. Make a sort of priority list.

5. Thrift stores and online sites like Ruffled for decorating! Then you can spend more on the things at the top of your list.

6. Ask for help! Don't be shy. Family, friends, church family, they all love you and would probably love to help you! Make use of your bridesmaids (nicely of course, don't go all bridezilla on them), set up invitation making parties and provide dinner. Make it a fun girlfriend date! Many hands make light work, food brings people to the table, and laughter drives away stress.

7. Don't overload your fiance. Some guys like to be more involved than others, and most don't want to here all the minuet of who, what, when and the color of the this or that. Don't get me wrong, he'll want to love and support you and hear about what you are excited about, but he's going to be your husband not your girlfriend-don't annoyingly gush about everything to him! (I hope i don't sound awful, guys are just different then girls.)

8. Do make use of your fiance. Give him something to work on and be in charge of. My now-husband loves music so I put him in charge of choosing the ceremony and reception music. He also helped with his side of the family's invite list and with some of the craft projects-like addressing the invitations.

9. Remember that compromise is okay. Everyone says it's your big day, and it is! But we often forget that it is also our parent's big day as well. They are giving away their precious baby. This is as much a milestone for them as for you-and someday you will mark the same one in your life. So no matter how frustrating your mother/mother-in-law's wishes are, be patient and remember that they love you. At the same time, don't give them everything they want and sacrifice your wishes. Compromise! Sit down and have a good long heart to heart. It can only bring you closer in the end to be open with each other.
(Disclaimer-i actually didn't have this problem! Thank goodness! But i have seen it happen!)

10.  Find a pastor to do premarital counseling. I realize that you're in love and everything seems perfect and "counseling is for people with problems." I get that. My pastor called it premarital discipleship. Really it is just an older couple give you both advice for marriage, to build a happy successful life together. These were some of the best memories I have of our engagement, getting to know the Trammell's, Jeff and I discussing what we'd learned and growing deeper in our relationship.

11. YOUR ENGAGED! Remember ever minute! Journal it, take pictures, enjoy! This was one of the best times of my life and some times I miss it-one always misses good memories- of course I love being married much much more than being engaged!

 

Top 13 Favorite books

Day 13: Me with Thirteen things: my thirteen favorite books right now.

 I love theis one because of the kitten trying to play with me. I had to set my timer A LOT because kittens kept running in front of the camera. :)

 The books aren't stacked by favorites but by size if you were wondering.

So my top 13 are (from top of the stack down)-
 Stepping Heavenward by Mrs. E Prentiss {I try to read this little book every year. It is a fictional journal following a woman's life and journey with God from 18 years old to her death. It is very encouraging to me because she isn't perfect but you can see how God grows her throughout her life.}
Finishing Becca by Ann Rinaldi {THis is a young adults book I read multiple times growing up about a girl named Becca who works as a maid during the revolution. Great historical fiction.}
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen {I've read this fully and in pieces over twenty times I think. This is my favorite book by far. Classic. Don't just see the movie!}
Jane Erye  By Charlotte Bronte {This is a classic. Read it!  Again, don't just see the movie, the book is soooooooooo much better!}
The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie OMartin {Even though I haven't finished this book yet I believe every wife should read/pray through this book. Prayer is so important to marriage. OMartin sets it up great, focusing on one thing a day for 30 chapters that your husband needs prayer for and also may shed some light on things. She covers everything from his fears, his health and trials to his sexuality, purpose and fatherhood. She starts out with a chapter on "his wife." Make sure you pray for yourself too.}
The Holy Bible My favorite translation is the New American Standard. {Reading your Bible consistantly helps with your relationship with God in that you are learnig more about Him and He is revealing things to you and teaching you through His word. Personally, I need to read my Bible everyday to stay focused on God and what is important.}
Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott {You just fall in love with the characters in this classic. I grew up reading this and I love it still.}
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee {Jeff and I both love this book. It's just so good with so much in it!}
Rebecca by Daphne Du Martin {I know what you must be thinking- two of my favorite books have my own name in them. No I'm not vain. :) My Grandma suggested this one to me. It's a romantic suspense story of a young wife living in a grand old house that is haunted by the memory of her husband's late wife, Rebecca. She sets out to discover what happened to the late Mrs. De Winters and the truth is shocking!}
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell {I, like most little girls, went through a horse phase. And while that fettish has died a little, my love for this story hasn't.}
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkien {Jeff read these to me while we were dating. It was our favorite thing to do at lunch our senior year of high school. Please please please don't just watch the movies. The books are so beautifully written! and there is so much you miss if you don't read them!}


{By the way, The Hunger Games Triolgy  almost made the list. Also worth a read! But they didn't make my top 13, sorry.}

Another Thought to Think

Just a Thought to Think on

Pray Without Ceasing? How?

Thessalonians5:17 tells us to "Pray without ceasing." I'll be the first to admit that I am terrible about this.

Now, this verse isn't necessarily saying that we must be in constant verbal and mental conversation with God because that just isn't possible. You can't hold two conversations at once, and if you can, well you are one of the few.
What God (the three in one-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) wants is a relationship with us, to be the biggest part of our day, to be in conversation with us, and the one guiding us. This only comes through continual conversation.

Prayer is like our cell phones. If you are like me, my cell phone is always in my pocket, I'm constantly checking the time and new messages, and if I forget it at home I feel sort of naked. Prayer should be the same way- constantly checking in with God.

Prayer is like talking to a best friend too. I love that I can call up Nikki and tell her about my day, from the most insignificant trifles to the catastrophes. God wants to hear it all, and not just when you tuck yourself in at night and remember at the last minute to thank Him for your day, but continually without ceasing.

There are a lot of things that remind me to talk to God.
-A beautiful sunrise, or light filled clouds bring praises of his beauty.
-Children's smiles and laughter make me thank him for his creation.
-Ambulance sirens remind me to pray for the health and safety of others-family, friends and strangers.

But there is one strange little thing that just reminds me to talk to Him, to say "hi" and just talk. It may be silly, but squirrels remind me to pray.

I love them, with their big bushy tails and quick playful movements. They fill me with joy. God began "communicating" with me/reminding me of His presence with squirrels at a cross country meet.

As most people know, I am not a long distance runner, I was built for speed and savor the 100 meter dash. But here I was in a 4 mile race, my knees and shins and hips hurt, I was angry and humiliated to be in last place and I wasn't in any mood to smile. But then God sent a big grey squirrel to run directly in front of me and up a tree. It was like He was saying, "I know it hurts, but remember I Am still here."
I didn't experience immediate healing, or go on to run my fastest race ever, but I was humbled and happy to be running in His presence.

So what is it that reminds you to pray? If you don't have a "prayer trigger" pick something (I started by picking Ambulances) and pray that God would send you a reminder, a glimpse of His presence.

A Modest Proposal

I have found myself very empathetic to the college student’s plight in the last few years. With a falling employment rate and a rising tuition cost the cries of “but I’m just a poor college student!” ring out in every dormitory, library and coffee house. The price of doughnuts, lattes and gas are rising nearly every day and constantly sucking the twenty-something’s wallet dry.

            In compassion for their plight I have just a small modest proposal. There may at first be some outcry against this proposal by college authorities but I am confident that they will come into agreement with me. And it is this, that the female population under the age of thirty shall no longer wear pants.

            There has already been a general move away from slacks and jeans as young, and sometimes old women don black, brown, white or tan tights, sometimes called leggings. This is a brilliant scheme for saving money. Nice jeans can hardly be found for under forty dollars and good GAP slacks are fifty.  Tights are cheap, found at Walmart for a mere eight dollars, and are so incredibly comfortable that you feel as though you are wearing nothing at all. They achieve this sensational feeling by hugging and molding to every curve and crack of the female anatomy.

            The next step to feeling even more comfortable and saving over forty dollars is to stop buying and wearing pants at all. This will leave money for the poor college student to feed their caffeine addiction, and a little left over for gas to go home to visit their boyfriends. If the young ladies do not already have a significant other and are dying for a ring by spring, going pant-less will certainly gain the attraction of a few men and potentially earn them a husband and provider of coffee money.

            The most difficult obstacle I foresee in this money saving endeavor is the Oregon weather. It is cold and wet most of the year and would be miserable to be half naked. But again the women have half solved the problem already.  All women do, or should, own a long coat and tall boots in accordance with the fashion of our time. These two articles of clothing will save the pant-less woman from embarrassing goose-bumps and keep her warm and dry as she makes her way to class and work. Since women already own these articles of clothing they will not have to spend but will only save money.

            The logic of my modest proposal is hard to deny: women need more money and already are close to half naked and therefore can save their hard earned dollar by selling and no longer wearing their jeans, slacks and tights. I urge the administration to push this proposal into school dress code as it will result in more money being available for tuition and coffee in the Common Grounds and therefore will allow raises for faculty and Aarmark employees.

            My next proposal shall cover the need to remove the torturous device known as the female brazier from the store shelves and encourage women to no longer buy or wear them for much the same reason as pants, mainly that they are expensive and uncomfortable. But as women do not seem ready to accept that proposal I again emphasize my appeal to the thirty and below to stop wearing tights.

An Explanation

            One of my favorite satires is Jonathan Swift’s “Modest Proposal” with which he sought to bring attention to the suffering of the Irish and move parliament to approve some of his bills that would result in aid for the Irish.

            His title along with my disgust over the trend of wearing leggings instead of proper pants inspired this modest proposal. It disgusts me that young women advertize every curve of their lower bodies and think it looks good. I wish there was some polite way to tell them, “Honey, your fat rolls are showing.” And to the young ladies who are small and petite and can almost pull it off in a cute way, I want to let them in on what they are doing to the minds of young men.

            The one place I can tolerate and accept leggings instead of shorts or pants is at athletic events and practices because they allow comfort and freedom of motion for the athletes. But last year my husband, then fiancé, asked me to wear running shorts over my workout leggings. He said that not only was it hard for him to practice with the distraction of my rock solid buns of steel [my own description, not his] running around the track but he was also jealous of the other boys who could see it too. This enlightened me to how hard women really do make it for men to stay pure with our tight fitting, low cut, and skin revealing fashions. In respect for him I did start wearing shorts over my leggings and now that we are married I ask him whether or not he is comfortable with what I am wearing into public places. There have been a few times I’ve needed to change into a different swimsuit at his request and I have because I not only want to respect my husband but also my Christian brothers who need as much help as they can get to stay mentally pure.

            Therefore I conclude that leggings/tights are not pants and should not be worn as such. I conclude with a picture, because it says a thousand words I cannot and wish not to express.

 Yes, she is wearing leggings, look at her ankles. 

To read my favorite satire piece, written by Johnathan Swift, also titled "A Modest Proposal", click here.

Beauty is Only as Deep as...

Dreams are a wish your heart make when you’re fast asleep. In dreams you will lose your heartaches, whatever your wish for, you keep. Have faith in your dreams and some day your…

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Another morning; just like all the rest.  I slip out of bed and gracefully move to the vanity where I examine the results of my beauty sleep. Yes, I’m far too pretty today.

My tummy is too tight, my hair too straight and shiny. My lips are too pink and my skin is too clean. My eyes are far too big and bright and my smile too white and happy.

So I pour myself a bowl of Lucky Charms, top it with whole milk and pop a cinnamon roll in the toaster oven.  I kick my snow white guaranteed-to-make-you-lose-ten-pounds running shoes aside as I sit down on the couch. Balancing my breakfast of champions on one knee, I  turn the TV to the latest talk show drama featuring two women begging through fountains of tears and catlike screams  for the audience to believe that they, not the other #*$@!, is the mother of Mr. Playboy’s baby.

When every last sticky drop has been licked from my bowl, I dig around in the bathroom cabinet for my makeup bag, ready to apply all the newest tips and tricks. I line up my arsenal on the counter: tweezers, brushes, powders, gels, mascara, blush, curlers and pencils.

The eyebrows are the first to go. My trusty tweezers pull and pluck their natural curve into a hardy straight line. Next I pile on foundation, a shade darker than my skin color and I am sure to leave a line along my chin. Wouldn’t want my neck and face to be the same color. I then attack it with powder, which, when the dust cloud dissipates, has effectively settled into every pore, line and crack. Perfect.

My eyes are still too bright so, mouth open, tongue hanging out and two inches from the mirror, I raccoon my eyes with pencil and apply coat after coat after coat of mascara until my eyes are hidden in a curtain of black. I finish by covering the offending pink of my lips with a fashionable shade of nude lipstick.

Then, with curling iron in one hand and Ultimate-mega-hold-your-style-all-day-and-for-eternity hair spray in the other I alternate between curling and spraying, curing and spraying, curling and spraying, until my hair is a mass of stiff, sticky frizz. Nice.

Stepping in to my closet I survey the options, tossing the rejects on to the floor. Yellow or teal shirt? Oh, definitely the red flowy shirt that makes me look prego to go with my fifteen inch stilettos. Pants? No, too concealing. Ooo, leggings! Just have to show off every curve of that cinnamon roll. I sling my hey-look-I’m-a-designer-bag over my shoulder, making sure my chapstick, lipstick, makeup bag, wallet, spork, lunch, iphone, sunglasses, change of clothes, flats, water bottle and the kitchen sink are safely stowed inside.

I teeter out the door, happy with my efforts. I mean, Cinderella had a fairy godmother to dress her up and help her catch her prince. Even that old lady with the sparkly wand knew that beauty is only as deep as your makeup bag.

Thank God for Children and Carousels

Running the merry go round is my favorite thing to do at work.
Kids coming running, all smiles and full of giggles- and I'm the coolest person right then, because I control the Carousel.
The same song plays over and over again, but the kids never tire of it, and their joyful energy keeps me going; keeps me smiling through the long shifts.

 

There is something poetic about a spinning carousel, children's laughter, giddy parents waving, flashing colors, summer heat, and the joyfully triumphant music. I wish I was more talented with words, so I could more fully describe the beauty I see in the simple scene.

The next time you see a merry go round, and hear a child's unrestrained laughter, and see their uninhibited similes- stop and enjoy that moment. Remember what it was like to be that carefree, take a breath, and relax. Let their laughter fill you up with a little joy- and thank God for children and carousels.