Meaningful Beauty?

Beauty is not in the face, beauty is a light in the heart.- Kilhil Gabron

A lovely castle containing no love is just a crumbling shack. But a lovely castle brimming over with the light of love is a kingdom that will stand forever.-Ange Cogburn


What is meaningful beauty? Earlier today, I glanced at a commercial and saw those exact words. Immediately I thought,"Wow, sounds like a great blog title!" Then as I stared a little longer, I saw super model Cindy Crawford gently rubbing a concoction on her beautiful face. The beauty treatment was made to slow the aging process and help eliminate wrinkles. Again I thought to myself,"One more product to sell to women and get her focus on the outside rather than the inside."

Thirty bucks a shot and you can erase age!! Wouldn't we women love for that to be true? I admit that at times I look at the lines on my 44 year old face and wonder where the years went. However, I always try to remind myself that the ways and promotions of the world will pull at a woman's heart strings. If we are not careful, we will become frustrated and pressured to buy products and pay large prices to keep the outside up to par with the views of what the world calls "true beauty".

According to the world, beauty means doing everything you can....tuck it, cut it, stuff it,puff it, enlarge it, eliminate it, erase it and suck it out!! Spend whatever moola you got so you can hear everyone say, "You've come a long way baby!" Or,"Wow, you look hot now." The world is so starved for love, many will do anything it takes to feel accepted even if it means spending mega bucks and putting lives at risk.

Someone has a quote on Cindy Crawford's website that states, "Remember your future, your face will change as you age." I am not knocking the importance of taking care of the outer appearance. However, I get so frustrated when that becomes the focus and the most important thing. How about we change the quote above to: "Remember your future, your heart will change as you age."

Your heart is what will change and either bring change for the good or bad of future generations. Instead of worrying so much about lines and wrinkles, sags and bumps of the body, maybe we should be more concerned about the inward being of the heart.

If I am kind, then kindness will multiply. I think about the times when someone did kind and selfless things for me. It stirred my heart to notice true beauty and inspired me to do something kind for someone else. You know....pay it forward!

If I am peaceful and patient, then it affects those I apply those toward and gives an example for them to follow.

If I choose humility even when I know I am being wronged, then I do not give bitterness room to take root. Bitterness is one of the worst "wrinkle diggers". If I am bitter, then why bother to fight grooves on my face with lotion when the crevices will grow deeper around my eyes as my heart grows harder and harder? Seems pointless to me.

On my next blog, I will share what the best potions are for meaningful beauty. Meaningful beauty is loveliness that is worked within the heart that brings change and influence to those around us. It is unconditional. It is costly....much more expensive than anything money can buy. Check back soon.

Happy Birthday Kerry!

Happy 15th Birthday Kerry.
I cannot believe it. You are 15! Just seems like yesterday you were 7 years old. You were having trouble learning to read. With tears in your eyes, you prayed and asked God to help you learn to read. Within 3 months you were reading very well!
You are such a special young man! I am so happy you were born!

Staying Cool

Some of you folks back East may not know that is is already getting hot here in Arizona. It is April 21st and the grand high today is 100 degrees. So we are inside with the blinds pulled and every ceiling fan is on. We will probably not be going out today. Normally the three digits do not hit until mid-May. However, we are having a hot blast this week. Here is what the kids did Sunday. We set up a little water park in the back yard.
The long blue one is a surfer. However the little ones used rafts to slide across their bellies.

Here is Tommy surfing!
Heather is having a try at it. She has not quite caught on to getting a good running start. However, she had a great time!
The smaller more colorful one is the Slip and Slide racer. It has 3 runways. The kids line up, run, land on their bellies and see who reaches the finish line first. The little guys had a ball with this and were wiped out that night and the following day.

I am still trying to wrack my brain for things to do this summer. We do not have a pool. However, that is fine by me. I heard that by July, all the pools are too hot to swim in anyway!

Here are some ideas I have come up with so far for indoor things to do once the triple digits hit everyday here.They are all planned around a box or storage container and I am calling it:

A BOX A DAY

Day One: ART DAY

Fill a box or large plastic container with art supplies. Now is a good time to start. Gather and save anything that could be used for a project such as, crayons, colored pencils, stickers, scrap paper, old greeting cards, coloring books, old magazines, glue, water color paints, brushes, old toothbrushes, sponges, glitter, empty paper towel toilet tissue rolls, empty soap boxes.



Day Two: INDOOR PLAYHOUSE

Use chairs and large blankets to form a tent. Use cardboard boxes for a table, TV set, and other furniture. Allow children to bring some of their own toys into the tent to set up a house. This will entertain them for hours. On one of the Art Days, have the kids decorate the boxes with the art supplies.

Day Three: INDOOR POOL DAY

Store plastic bath tub toys (can be found at dollar store), plastic scoops,margarine tubs, and anything that can be safely used in the water in a plastic storage box or container. Fill the tub with warm water and bubbles. Sit with the children as they play in the tub.

Day Four:RICE BOX DAY

Fill a sturdy plastic storage container with rice. Collect old plastic containers, spoons, measuring cups, small plastic cups, etc. Spread an old table cloth or sheet over table. Have children sit at table and play in the rice. You will have to sweep when finished. However, the fun for the kids will make it worthwhile!

Day Five: HANDS ON BOX

Fill a box with various puzzles, activity books with mazes and connect the dots, cardboard and yarn for sewing, etc. some of these things can be found at the dollar store. I have made homemade puzzles from old cereal boxes.


The key is to only get out one box per day to prevent boredom. I am going to do some more brainstorming and research and will post more ideas soon to prepare you for summer. And don't forget to make trips to the library and READ, READ, READ!

Stay cool!

The Blessing of Wrestling

What is "wrestling"? No, it is not just turning on the television to watch a couple of beefed up men in their underwear act out a fight. I am talking about the everyday struggles we face in family and relationships. It is about internal struggles we deal within our own hearts.

Today, I am considering this very thing. The blessing of wrestling. No matter who we are or what our lot in life may be, we all face these struggles. As parents we face many of them as we guide our children through the different stages of life they have to encounter. And the way we deal with this it is all about perspective.

We have currently been having some struggles with one of our children. I have wavered between frustration, aggravation, hope and anticipation! And all of these are good. I find that the struggles force me to look at my own heart first. God uses our family members as mirrors for ourselves. He is changing us into His likeness and one of the main tools He uses are those who are closest to us. Family! Oh the joys and the pains!

It amazes me how easy it is to get caught up in the mindsets of the world....thinking that our goals in life should be to work as hard as we can to make life easier. However, I am learning as time passes, that hardship is truly the blessing, not the easy life.

Another thought I have had is that if I stay on my knees for my children, I can trust Him with them. I cannot provide everything for my children. I am not supposed to provide everything for them. Now this does not get me off the hook, but it does take a lot of the pressure off of me in thinking that it is all up to me to determine the outcome of my children's lives.

Another thing I am learning is that I am not to judge my children for the way they are now. They may be struggling through some things. But I have to remind myself to keep looking through the lenses of the Father. He sees the full picture. He is not finished with their lives. They are a work in progress just as I am. We are all growing up into Christ in God's plan and design for our individual lives.

It is interesting how those on the outside may be quick to notice a negative trait in your child. I have been guilty of doing this very thing in other people's children. But I was wrong. If I noticed a negative trait, I should have seen it with a different perspective. For example, a strong willed child is a leader yet to be revealed. A quiet and reserved child may be a great listener and a merciful person.

I must learn to see others through destiny rather than a critical spirit.Why can't we all look learn to look for destiny in others rather than the flaws? I long for the day when encouragement overcomes critical opinions. I hope some of it can start with me. There is not enough encouragement in the world. Maybe that is why so many kids grow up feeling rejected, thinking they are losers.

So today, I choose to look through the eyes of Hope. It will make a difference in the way I perceive every struggle of life. Bring on the wrestling match! For I know that Hope wins in the end!

No tree grows strong without the wind of the storm.
No flower blooms without the rain from the cloud.
No crop is fruitful without the drenching downfalls.
And no person is lovely without the weather of hardship and struggle.
Welcome the rain.
Embrace the pain of unsettling winds.
For there is always beauty
Formed in the end..

Happy Birthday Daniel

Happy 8th Birthday Daniel! You are such a strong little boy with a big heart! This mother is blessed to have you in her life. Thank you for all the hugs you give everyday!! I love you!

Easter Beauty

Today was the first Easter in about 20 years in which we did not attend church. It was strange. But I have to say it was one of the most peaceful and special Easters. We did something different this year and I believe our family will remember it for many years to come. First I put ham and macaroni and cheese in crock pots. I made green beans as well and set them on warm. Lunch was ready! We dressed the children in casual clothes. John grabbed the Message Bible and we headed out to the desert park. It was a coolish 70 degrees with blue skies and a light breeze.
My son Tommy took these beautiful photos of cacti blooms. The colors are unbelievably vibrant. It is amazing how such beauty can spring out of such "thorny" surroundings! Reminds me of Jesus and His sacrifice for us. Our sins are the thorns. His life is the beauty that blossoms out of our sin as He lives in our hearts.! The Easter message awaited us for sure this morning!
After catching a few shots of the gorgeous blooms, we all sat in the morning sun and listened to John read out of the bible. He read from John 20.

"Mary Magdelene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance. She ran to John and Peter breathlessly panting, "They took the Master from the tomb. We don't know where they have taken Him. They all ran to the tomb and found that Mary's report was correct. But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. How hopeless she was. She knelt as she wept to look within the tomb and noticed two angels sitting there dressed in white. They said to the woman, "Why do you weep?" "They took my Master'" She said, "and I do not know where they have taken him."
After she said this, she turned away. She saw Jesus but she did not reconize Him. (Isn't it amazing that we can be in such grief or disappointment that we often do not recongnize that He is standing right with us? Hopelessness will do this to us at times.)

Jesus asked, "Woman why do you weep? Who are you looking for?" She thinking He was the gardener, said, "Mister, if you took him, tell me where so I may care for him."

Jesus said, "Mary."
Turning to Him she said, "Teacher!"

Jesus said, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.Go to my brothers and tell them, "I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God."

Mary Magdelene went, telling the news to the disciples."I saw the Master!" And she told them everything He had said to her."
John shared with us that we need to believe God more than ever in our lives. He also exhorted us that the enemy is very busy trying to keep us from believing God everyday.

There are seasons we go through when we may feel there is nothing to look forward to. We can fall into hopelessness because we all want to have the anticipation of good things happening. We look forward to visits from friends and family. We look forward to fun activities and favorite TV shows. We all are created to carry hope. So when we go through times when we feel we do not have much to look forward to , we need to remember this is a fleeting emotion. The Hope of Glory resides within all those who know Him. And we can rest assured that we are never without hope even if our emotions are telling us otherwise. Listen to Hope and believe in Him.
After we arrived home from the service in the desert, we had a warm, hearty lunch awaiting. We topped it off with Peanut Butter Passion pie for dessert. We gave the children their bags of Easter Candy and bottles of bubbles. Here are some photos of them playing in the back yard after lunch.


The children had a blast running off all that sugar.


I had to post this picture of Kerry. He is going to be 15 soon and this is the shortest I have seen his hair in a long time! Doesn't he look handsome?
To close, I wanted to post these close up shots of the youngest children. Look at Timmy's eyelashes!
I love this pretty profile shot of Heather Rose!
And Joshua is always smiling and such a joyful child!

We have had a wonderful blessed day in the Lord! I cannot thank Him enough!!!

Great is His Faithfulness, Great is My Gratefulness

Great is the faithfulness of our God. And great is my gratefulness. This is my heart and it is brimming over with appreciation.

Every night when I go to bed, I talk to God. I tell Him thank you. Thank you Lord for all you have given today! Thank you for being so patient with me. Thank you for keeping our family and for providing for us in so many ways. Thank you Lord for our family and for faithful friends!

This morning I awoke to such sweet reminders of the goodness of God and the appreciation for all of His blessings. There was an email awaiting me from a dear friend who lives in Michigan. She just wrote to say hello and to tell me she misses me. I am blessed. Thank you Lord!

Right after I read the sweet email, the phone rang and it was another precious friend who lives in Atlanta calling to say hello and that she misses me! She just had surgery , but is hoping she and her daughter can come out to visit us this summer. Now that is love. Anyone who would be willing to travel to Phoenix in the dead of the summer is a true friend!

I am blessed to have such beautiful friends in many places...California, Michigan, Georgia, Arkansas, South Carolina, North Carolina and Washington, D.C. I love you all! Thank you for staying in touch and for all the phone calls, emails and notes to say you have not forgotten us!

I am truly blessed!!