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.
To Dream the Impossible Dream
why do you think? btw, that also isn’t exactly the thing to tell a woman) To right the unrightable wrong, To be better far than you are, To try when your arms are too weary, To reach the unreachable star,
This is my quest, to follow that star, No matter how hopeless, no matter how far, To be willing to give when there’s no more to give, To be willing to die so that honor and justice may live,
And I know if I’ll only be true to this glorious quest, That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I’m laid to my rest,
And the world will be better for this, That one man scorned and covered with scars, Still strove with his last ounce of courage, To reach the unreachable star.”
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.
Moonlit Therapy
In the night, the moon came out and cast its glow over
the sand.
I walked far into the dunes.
What is the best therapy for an over-worked, stressed person?
A moonlit walk on the sands, all alone. Or a moonlit walk anywhere in the silence. There’s always a moon shining in the night.
Kinda helps you think things through…clear things out of your mind that are there but don’t need to be.
Kinda puts everything at rest.
Why? Because at last you are surrounded by some orderliness.
Some peace.
Not a wisp of wind…yet everything moves like clockwork, all around you, as it should.
It is a beautiful thing. 
“When I consider thy heavens… the moon…what is man, that thou art mindful of him?”
How is it, that with all this beauty, God still made us? Knowing we would break the orderliness that His glorious sun and moon would never break?
If you have an answer for that please get back with me.
M.E.
P.S. Imagine a king looking into a sky full of stars, and a bright moon, and pondering these same words. Read them in Psalm 8.
P.S.S. And yes, like I suggested yesterday, there were kabobs in the evening, the smell drifting from the grill.
Coping with Nervousness
Dear You,
Have you ever had to do something that you just did not want to do?
Your hands are sweaty.
Your voice is shaking. You take deep, heavy breaths.
You don’t eat lunch because you are afraid it won’t stay in your stomach for long.
You long for the delightful moment that comes once you’ve finished the dreaded moment.
Symptoms of nervousness.
That was me, last weekend.
I was dreading an event like you wouldn’t believe. In my field, it is unfortunately a requirement to graduate.
You just know that everything that could possibly go wrong in the world will happen in that one single moment.
Even though hundreds of others have accomplished it before you, and they were all standing in their shoes at one moment, shaking in their shoes just like you. And they survived!
So I sat down, and wrote a little note to myself.
That’s how I usually cope with the dread that is churning in my stomach.
(That, and a lot of prayer.)
The first sentence of the letter I read back to myself wasn’t very classy, but those were my thoughts at the moment.
“Dear Me,
If they don’t like it, then that really sucks for them. Why wouldn’t they like it? These are people who love me. They want me to do my best. So I will do my best for them. And that’s the best I can do. And if it’s not perfect, then well–it’s not perfect. But it was still good.”
(Welcome to the world of my thought process!)
“It was still good.” Yes, that is the part I always forget.
After all, why are we nervous…afraid of the mistakes we might make?
We’re humans after all, so we won’t be perfect, but as long as we prepare and practice to do our best, we have to let what happens happen. We have to let go and let all of that practice kick in. Then when we make a mistake, we have to throw it aside and move on.
You see, it’s not the mistake that matters, it’s how you respond after the mistake that really matters.
Ah-but here’s a little secret about me–I have a secret discontentment with being imperfect. One little mistake…and I think the world has come to an end.
Well, it hasn’t.
One thing I really drew strength from was the story of Joseph. (Yes, that’s why I wrote about Joseph.)
Joseph, who executed everything he did with a strength that seemed supernatural.
Who wasn’t afraid to stand up and present himself in his own way, and thought of others but could care less what others thought of him so long as he was doing the right thing and knew he was doing it well.
So when I walked out into the applause that night, I walked in the strength of my God.
I may not be perfect, but I was still good. And that was enough!
I’m afraid the person presenting the event with me was more nervous than I was.
Even though that person was so kindly more worried about me.
I was humbled. Here I was pacing the floor, worried about something I am not new too, and my rookie assistant who is heaving his own sighs is telling me,
“You‘ll do fine.”
What a reminder to always put YOU first in my life, not me.
A common cliche, everyone always says it. Still, the words were music to my ears. They gave me a sudden boost of confidence.
You see, everyone has a time in their life when they are nervous. We’re humans and it just happens. Admit it. Tell yourself, I will be nervous, BUT I know what I’m doing. It helped me to have a teacher look me in the eye and say, Nervous? Of course you’ll be. Everybody is. That’s just part of it.
We all survive. Fast forward ten years from now…after meeting Love of my Life…wedding bells, maybe a crib in the back bedroom…
Yeah, honey, remember that time you had to give a speech for that meeting? We were doing all that fine dining right before and you had to keep excusing yourself to run back to the restroom…?
Huh, dear?
What are the best words I heard on that night?
“You’ll do fine!”
A hug, a reassuring squeeze.
These people believed in me.
Dear you, You will be fine! Face whatever you’re facing with confidence! Walk in strength! Focus on doing your best! And if you don’t do it perfect, well then,
You didn’t do it perfect–but it was still good!
Nothing can be better than that!
And I did do just fine. Still, I’m glad it is over.
Sigh of relief. Ahhhh…
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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