Be Beautiful, Be You
Dear You,
Wow has it been a while! Much too long. Somehow the school paperwork mounted, then one of my Folks started acting NOT like himself. I couldn’t believe it when I would come home and he would be lying there, lethargic, the pain knotting his forehead. Then a long time of searching. What in the world was wrong with him? An MRI. Brain surgery? What?? No! Meningitis then? Chemical meningitis? What in the world is the difference between chemical and bacterial??? Yes, it turned out that’s what it was.
He’s OK, he made it. He still has the occasional headache, pain in the neck, but he’s alright, glory be!
Which brings me to the real reason why I backed off from writing. I realized I always ended up writing about myself, and when I started this blog, my original purpose was not to make a diary of my life, but instead to share with you stories about people like Nick and Katie (Amazing Love in Feb) and Joseph (Joseph; Like a Rock in Feb). And then I read the story of a woman whose story should be told around the world.
Everywhere she steps foot, eyes follow her. She walks through the supermarket, heads turn. She enters the room, and she is the central point. Folks who have lost self esteem… who feel insecure
who at home were staring in the mirror wishing they could afford cosmetic surgery…
who have NO self-confidence now that some rude insecure bully cut them down with a comment, turn curious eyes towards her. They jump down to the kid shoes she’s wearing as they give her the full scope of a look-over.
That is, until a face that lights up with friendly smile steps in front of them, and a thin skeleton hand softly touches their arm, while the other presents a card, and a friendly voice says kindly,
“Honey, maybe you should stop staring and start learning.”
Learn that what’s inside matters the most.
Learn that if you are going to be beautiful, be you!
Wouldn’t you like to have that kind of strength?
Age 23. Weight: 60 lbs. Size: triple zero clothes.
She’s a tiny woman, with the powers of Superwoman.
You can fly anywhere with her cape of confidence. And one day she decided to step out and write the the big “S” in front.
Miss Lizzie Velasquez wrote a book about her life story.
You see, it goes something like this, four weeks early, mom Rita and father Lupe welcomed a little girl into this world. Weight: 2 1b, 10 oz, and she was so adorably tiny they had to dress her in doll clothes. She lacked in adipose. Adipose, that helps you gain body fat. She is 1 of 3 people in the world with this condition. At age 4 she went blind in one brown eye. She eats every 15 minutes to keep up her energy. Insulted by cyber bullies. And everywhere she goes, she meets stares. This woman, bound and determine to succeed, went to Texas State and is now a senior, close to graduating. (I’m happy she’s Texan born, Texan bred! Like me 
)
Her new book was released today! It’s called appropriately Be Beautiful, Be You.
And this woman has been called the World’s Ugliest Woman.
Whoever came up with that must have been looking in the mirror at themselves.
This is a woman with a heart of gold, with a maturity that few people ever have.
She eats 60 meals a day, and she gets excited when she “gains even one pound.”
“I’m human, of course these things are going to hurt. But, I’m not going to let those things define me. At the end of the day, these are just words. If they are so proud, then they should show their face. I feel I’m really glad I don’t look like the celebrities out there who are beautiful, because there are a lot of stereotypes attached to that.”
Wow, wow wow WOW!!!
When did we start being a society of America’s Next Top Model, instead of being a society where decency is valued, where beauty is found in the way you treat your neighbor? That maturity is found when you treat someone with respect, with dignity?
I remember reading that wanted sign down by the old abandoned cabin. There was a creek flowing there.
Wanted: (it said) more people to inspire others and fewer to throw cold water on them.
Ding, ding, ding, ding, does it ring a bell? The Golden Rule, maybe?
Dear you, if they say you look ugly, they just aren’t worth it. I mean, look whose really being ugly here?
If you worry constantly about yourself…if you just feel constantly insecure:
- Say, “hey, yeah, I feel insecure, I’ve got bad acne, I’m just nerdy…” just admit it to yourself that you do feel insecure!
- When someone says something mean, well, ever heard of that poem that goes: Oh, a trouble’s a ton, or a trouble’s an ounce, or at trouble is what you make it, And it isn’t the fact that you’re hurt that counts, But only how did you take it?
- Wow, I just can’t help it, I’m going to have to quote the rest of that poem. You are beaten to earth? Well, well, what’s that? Come up with a smiling face. It’s nothing against you to fall down flat, But to lie there — that’s disgrace. The harder you’re thrown, why the higher you bounce; Be proud of your blackened eye! It isn’t the fact that you’re licked that counts, It’s how did you fight – and why?
- You are NOT inferior. I repeat, you are NOT inferior! You are good at something(s). You have a strength(s) that makes you unique from every other person on this planet!!!
- You are a lucky person!! Smile because you are.
I remember a classmate who always had a smile, ALWAYS. Everyone liked to have Cole around because Cole was like sunshine in the room. Sure he jogged the entire campus every morning at 8, but wow did he work out his smile muscles everyday!! Actually, I’m sure mine could use a little exercising. :-) - “Whenever I feel afraid, I hold my head up high, and whistle a happy tune, and nobody knows I’m afraid!” You ever heard of that song?
- Do what is right! Young Johnny the cyberbully out there might not agree, but does it really matter what some random Johnny thinks? at least you know where you stand.
- Hold the door open for the person behind you, say “thank you” …
Dear you, meet Miss Lizzie, who is an amazing woman.
and her wonderfully supportive family.
Be beautiful, be you!
It’s so good to be back. Go and BUY THE BOOK! and be inspired!
xoxoxo,
M.E.
Happy Easter 2012!
A blessed Easter to all of you! Hope it was a glorious day filled with sunshine, joy, and hope…hope you were able to squeeze in an Easter egg hunt or take a deep breath and enjoy the sunshine and the lilies. Hope you were reminded of what is most important on this day: the love of an Almighty God who sent his only begotten Son to suffer on the cross and then rose from the grave so that we might live and celebrate Easter today.
Happy Easter 2012!
M.E.
P.S. The above is an excerpt from “Road to Happiness, Short Story,” which can be found on the main page of the blog.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Listen to this unforgettable song: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Have you ever wished you could escape to some place where there isn’t any trouble?
Do you suppose there is such a place?
We all wish there was.
There is.
Somewhere…over the rainbow…
Listen to this unforgettable song. Warning: you may shed a few tears. But somehow, all the stress, all the anxieties of life seem washed away…
and you seem to have flown to some other place…
maybe, just maybe…some place
over the rainbow.
Dare to Succeed
I am now back from the land of mountains and sand.
Which means I am back to the usual grind of classes and a mountain of homework from professors who believe their class is the most important in the world.
Which also means that beinspiredforyou.com now has a new look! Check it out and see what you think.
I’ve been thinking about what it takes to be successful.
How could I have made that mistake? It was just well, plain, um–dumb! (what often goes on in the back of my mind)
You see, we do not fail when we make a mistake, it is all about how we respond to the mistake that really matters.
Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.–George Edward Woodberry
Let me tell you a secret about myself. I fear about being unsuccessful in what I do.
So often I do nothing at all.
Which is defeat.
Which is doing exactly what I am afraid of: not succeeding.
Which if you think about it, is a going-around-in-circles kind of deal in the end.
I think some of that is that I am a perfectionist, and the rest of it is that I am a human, with a very human nature.
So dare.
Dare to fail 9999 times, like Thomas Edison, and succeed on the ten thousandth.
Dare to be you. You were made to be your own wonderful unique self. And if it is not who you are about, then don’t do it. Dare to stand out from the crowd. Imagine if we were all the same (which, let’s just admit it, we try to be sometimes), what kind of boring place would that be to live in? (Yawn. Yawn.)
It wouldn’t be a pretty sight.
Be yourself.
Dare to make a mistake. Think about it. If you don’t try at all, then you won’t for certain make a mistake, but you will also never succeed.
But shhh, don’t tell…
I hate making mistakes! I will literally lay awake at nights thinking… and thinking…
what will they think of me? (which probably really doesn’t matter)
what if they think I’m stupid?
I’m positive I said the wrong thing, (well, M.E., you are human, and now you know NOT what to do next time, so move on!)
Dare to be creative. Think outside the box. Where would we be if Karl Benz, the inventor of the fist automobile, hadn’t persisted. And persisted. And persisted.
We wouldn’t be able to climb into a car and drive down to the store to pick up the groceries.
A car is really a wonderful invention.
But someone else had to be successful in order for us to turn the key, hear the rumble of the engine, and be able to put the car in reverse.
Dare to succeed…
There is nothing like the feel of success after you’ve sweated it out.
And conquered!
You feel a pride in the work you’ve accomplished, and you should! After all, you’ve earned it.
Start with the small things. You see, this is what comes to my mind the minute I think of success.
How can I save the world?
And I waste my time trying to save the world (which doesn’t care about what I think anyway) while the cookies are out in the kitchen burning in the oven.
Start small, and I mean small. “Cookies burning” may seem like a silly example, but it’s a small thing. Its like I wrote in my New Years Resolution in January.
Grow a little each day. Start thinking, How can I make one–just one!–minute out of my day successful?
You will soon find that two minutes doesn’t start to sound so bad after all…
and three minutes…and then an hour, that you can spend being being successful at something you’re trying to accomplish in your life.
Which means I need to stop rambling and get going on that homework I’ve got due tomorrow.
I just hope it is not as long as I think it is.
Otherwise doing something else that is actually fun would sound tempting.
Here I go around in circles again.
Guess I’d be better off just doing the homework now. Ugh.
Love,
M.E.
Your Aspiring Miss Rodeo Queen
Here’s the little personal bit about myself that I promised you earlier today.
Here goes…
I want to be rodeo queen.
Unfortunately, the last time I got off a horse I lost my balance and fell backwards into the arms of the unprepared cowhand.
I think he was as startled as I was.
This time when I went horse riding I pledged not to be so awkward.
This is the picture I got while on top of George–
My horse.
It really was a beautiful ride.
Even though I killed my camera battery.
My camera battery finally died.
“You killed it!”–a wrangler joked upon learning my predicament
I wonder why we laughed so much while talking to these wranglers?
I think only my sister would laugh till she rolled out of her chair at this comment. There’s an inside joke attached to it as well.
I know, I know, inside jokes are no fun to anybody (except for those on the inside).
Have you ever (like me) been in a meeting, and somebody makes a joke, and you perceive it in your own way to be funny. So you laugh…
And then he, or she (bless their hearts) announces,
“That’s an inside joke.”
And that doesn’t include you?
Okay, maybe I’m the only one that’s happened to. Or who has made a joke like that.
Back to my story…thankfully I came prepared with another charged battery. I changed it while I was riding on top of the horse.
The cowhand was very much impressed–
that I had brought an extra battery–
not that I could change it while riding on top of George and holding the reins.
I think he was also impressed that I had already “killed” it as well.
And wondering when the camera was going to stop always being pointed at him.
So he smiled and pointed out the scenery.
And I pointed the camera at him pointing at the scenery.
Not really. :-) The wranglers were having fun. They made all of us feel right at home and joked and laughed and talked, and then talked some more with us.
And that cowhand was still smiling when he good-naturedly swaggered to sit astride the picnic table etched with ranch brands when the ride was over.
I took some more pictures of the scenery–which was wild, rugged, and free.
By the way, my sister and I have a wonderful relationship.
Although I’m sure she wouldn’t mind loaning me out to you every once in a while.
Meaning, if you’ve always wanted a sister, let me–I mean ‘her’–know.
Just don’t try to write her through ‘dear M.E.’ because she’ll never get the letter.
Hopefully it wouldn’t be just to find out what that inside joke is.
Okay, I need to get some rest. Obviously. This post is starting to get out of hand.
(I did change this photo to black-and-white, in order to respect the wishes of certain of my folks to remain anonymous.)
Your Aspiring Miss Rodeo Queen,
M.E.
P.S. No, there weren’t any mishaps this time, such as falling backwards off a horse.
Except my sister’s horse decided he knew a better way to get back home.
One of the cowhands went off and rescued her.
I wish I could say this horse was in a conspiracy to be a matchmaker. Just kidding. ;-)
P.S.S. She’ll get me back one day, I’m sure. She promises to write a blog to rival mine, in the future. I wouldn’t be worried except that I am positive her subject matter would be far more entertaining than mine.
Sun Bursts Forth
“He has set a tabernacle for the sun…
which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber…
and rejoices as a strong man to run a race.”
That is a blazing ball called the sun, moving across the sky and determined to burst forth from the clouds.
(And it burst forth. Only moments later.)
Been to a wedding? David wrote that the sun reminds us of the face of a bridegroom.
Or like an athletic man preparing to run the marathon of his life.
Have you ever thought about that?
Sunshine is a symbol of happiness, of joy, of strength, of hope!
Sunshine is the symbol of optimism.
And this magical thing called sunshine sweeps away a thing called darkness.
This blazing ball called the sun moves across the sky in silence, full of power and determination to touch and warm everything on which it shines.
We should be like that. Let’s be sun catchers. Catch the sunshine and reflect those beautiful colors of your life to all of those around you. It’ll be harder for you to see the shadows, and you may reflect the sunshine onto somebody else!
Well, what do you think? I love when you share your thoughts via comments. What do you think about sunshine? When you are driving in the car, and you roll down the car window, and the sunshine bursts forth, and you reach for those sunglasses, what are you thinking?
awaiting your thoughts,
M.E.
P.S. Be prepared. Later today, as this vacation rolls to its end, I may live my dream. You may hear a personal little bit about M.E for one post. We’ll see…
(P.S.S. Some of you are wondering, do I edit these photos? No. I’m on vacation. They haven’t been touched.)
Inspiration Itself
If pictures could talk, what do you think this one would say to you?
To all of you, please write and tell me what you would caption this photo. Any ideas?
What does this photo say to you?
To me, this is inspiration itself.
There’s just something about this.
It makes you think of endless possibilities.
When you look at it, you just feel good…you feel at peace.
That’s why God made it.
To show you a part of Himself.
Have a glorious day, :-)
M.E.
Vacation Pictures
I don’t write much about my personal life, do I?
Maybe I’ll post vacation pictures, soon. That way you can see the places I like to go.
I love where I live, but there’s also nothing like getting out and enjoying a vacation.
You see, when I am face to face with beautiful scenery, I react to it in the following ways:
When I’m on the mountaintop, I feel I have the world at my feet. like I have conquered. (Even though I’ve driven all the way to the top.)
There’s a beautiful sunrise, and my jaw drops.
There’s a beautiful sunset. My jaw drops again. This time it’s because I’m yawning. Just kidding.
When the sunshine bursts through the trees…I’m singing all inside.
When the valley, lush and greeen, is sandwiched between two mighty mountains, with a river winding through…I just want to stay there forever. I LOVE mountains! And we don’t have any where I live.
But I like the cool things, too. (Pretty specific, huh?) You’ll see some of those.
Okay, you’ve helped me make up my mind.
I’ll post the pics. The good ones.
Meanwhile, the packing…
Until then,
a very busy M.E.
Meet M.E.
I write for YOU. Whoever you may be, I hope you will always be encouraged. I hope you will believe in yourself, that you are the most amazing person in the world, because you are you!
Things that inspire me: sunshine in a blue sky, the rainbow soaring over the storm, the firefighter, policeman, and paramedic, and the person who tries and tries and tries…and still tries again.
You will find out I have a vivid imagination. Laughing is therapy. Everything’s bigger in my home state. My grandmother was born in Gohrgah. I like it classy. I square dance with Hillbillies, and canoe deep in the Ozarks. I admire those who stand strong for what is right. I want to ride in the rodeo. (Unfortunately I don’t own a horse. Otherwise I might try!) Enough about me, now on to You!
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