Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful

Again, I'm moving things about. 

I think I may have already posted the sign, 

"Be your own kind of beautiful."

I found it in the $1 bin at Target.

Yes, $1!

I move it around to remind myself 

that no, I am not skinny. 

I am lumpy and bumpy.

I have more wrinkles than I did last year

and when the color fades from my hair, I see more gray.

I want to be healthy and I have made a goal to get there.

But while I work on it, I'm gonna be my own kind of beautiful.

When I was a teenager and young adult, 

my best friend was beautiful, tiny and was/is one of the most 

precious persons you will meet.

She has the ability to see the good in everyone.

She and my brother and I sang together. 

My daughter, niece and nephew played 

"Bonnie, Bruce and Dale."

Of course, my nephew played "Bruce."

My niece and daughter would always argue over who 

was going to play "Dale."

She had the beautiful, sweet voice. 

I was the deep alto.

Little girls in high heels with hairbrushes in hand singing,

what a beautiful memory!

Shoot, even I wanted to be Dale when I grew up.

As God has begun to shape me and make me into who He

wants me to be, I am learning to be my own kind of beautiful.

Yes, and He's still working on me!

I am learning that God has given me gifts, a purpose for which I was created. 

We all come from different places, different backgrounds, 

different homes with different stories. 

I've learned that some of our stories are much the same.

Beauty in memories mixed with pain in the now. 

We are all in different seasons of our lives. 

Some of you are discouraged, some of you are exhausted, 

some are hurting, some are grieving, some are frustrated 

and fed up with life. 

Some of you are taking care of little ones, 

some of you are taking care of a sick loved one,

some of you are caring for aging parents

and some of you are just trying to keep your head above water

to take care of yourself.

Whevever you are in life, you are beautiful and precious

in God's sight, 

no matter how hard life may be at the moment. 

The piece above is a distressed platter from a shop 

that I found last week. 

It is different. 

It kinda reminds me of the oyster plate. 

I got to thinking.

You are the pearl in the oyster shell.

The shell is rugged and hard and not pretty, 

but hidden somewhere inside is a beautiful pearl. 

Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful!