"Aren't you thankful for makeup?"

One morning, a day like any other, I was getting ready for work, staring intently in the mirror while I put on eye shadow, mascara, blush . . . you know those essential beauty aids we ladies have come to rely on.

My then 4-year-old came into the bathroom where I was so diligently working. He stood at the bathroom counter watching for a few minutes.

“Mom. Aren’t you thankful for makeup?”

There are some things that require no reply. But at that moment I remember thinking, “Perhaps not as thankful as you seem to be - (you sweet little stinker)."

“People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7

When David was chosen to be king, as the youngest brother, he may not have looked the part in the eyes of those watching this process, but the Lord was looking for something beneath the exterior. Duly noted. That’s important to remember.

And yet. We also know that our lives, our outward appearance, countenance may be the only Gospel some people will ever “read.” Or may be the first chapter in the book of Jesus for them.

Bottom line. Yes. I am thankful for makeup. It helps me. I imagine others I meet are too, they just may not know how much.

Present the best of yourself – whenever you can.

It really may matter – to you and to them.

I love being a Girl!

Spa Day.

Need I say more? A slice of heaven.

Today my daughter and I spent a few hours together celebrating her birthday at this wonderful spa near our house. It’s the ultimate in luxury and the best gift to give another woman, in my opinion. It’s a celebration of lady-ness.

It’s a reminder me that taking time out just for me is important. Needful.

You need to invest in those activities that help get you back to true north. Center. Grounded. Peaceful.

Gardening. Painting your nails. A cup of tea and a magazine. A walk and an iPod. A bath – with bubbles.

No pressure.

Find a girl friend – it’s the best girl friend thing to do. Facials and pedicures --- aaahhhh.

It’s good to be a girl. Take advantage of it . . . when you can. Every once in a while.

I’m pretty sure you deserve it.

He went west, She went east

I’ve been reading Carl Sandburg for the past few days. I don’t read or study many poets, but he is definitely one of my favorites.

This poem – short as it is – has made me think and ponder much since I read it.

One Parting by Carl Sandburg

Why did he write to her,
“I can’t live without you”?
And why did she write to him,
“I can’t live without you’?
For he went west, she went east
And they both lived.

Whether with someone, or without someone, I hope you are living. Really living. You can, you know.

Can You Spot an Artist?

They are everywhere. You probably have them growing up in your home right now.

I made and packed my kids’ school lunches almost every day – kindergarten through senior year in high school. (Yes, I know they were old enough to make and pack their own lunches when they turned 10 probably, but it was one more way I could “touch” them with an act of service – my love language – every day).

Anyway, I would wrap their sandwiches, or cold pizza in tinfoil on many days.

The picture of the tinfoil rose shown above was one of dozens of tinfoil creations that came home in my son’s lunchbox – when he was in elementary school. I still have this rose, sitting on my desk in my office. I suppose it's 10 or 11 years old now.

We were raising a creative – an artist. It was obvious – every day. He was a creator in every sense of the word. As a child, he made wallets out of playing cards; duck tape purses and shoes; water color paintings; oil paintings; short films with his friends, and so on and so on.

He has the soul of an artist.

My prayer is that he never yields to the resistance to stop creating.

“Art is what we call...

the thing an artist does.

It's not the medium or the oil or the price or whether it hangs on a wall or you eat it. What matters, what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcame the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt and made something worth making. Something risky. Something human.

Art is not in the eye of the beholder. It's in the soul of the artist.”

(From Seth Godin’s blog, 2/18/11, http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/)