Beauty is in the eye of the beholder…truly <3

Hello and happy Friday!!

This is going to be so quick and so full of my heart, so for those of you who think I am too much emotion, you may want to shut her down and go on with your day. 

This week Russ and I went on a bike ride with the kiddos and then took them to Sam’s Club for a cheap treat. And I don’t mean just the samples, we actually bought from their cafe menu and sat down for pizza and ice cream and silliness.

After we ate, we walked around and burnt off energy. Russ snapped a pic of the shenanigans to send to Rachel and Zach.

When I saw it on my phone, I was so sad. The angle of the shot was not flattering, it was honest, but it was not flattering. I knew he just wanted to capture the fun of the moment, and goodness knows he is aware of my age and size so it wasn’t a bad shot, just a real shot. 

That evening, Rachel and I were looking at our phones to find some schedule or something we had communicated and I scrolled past the picture. I mumbled how awful I look and in less than a heart beat, as I held the phone up to her, she just looked at it and whispered “Beautiful”.

And you know what? She meant it, 

It was what my heart needed.

I remember my own mom, about this same age I am currently, holding her small hands out in front of me. The veins that bulge through all of our family line and I inherited, were mapped out across the tops and her fingers were bent and misshapen from the arthritis that also runs in our genetic pool. And she shook her head at the sorry state of her hands and how, in her words, unsightly they were.

Just as my daughter did this week, I looked at those hands that had prepared thousands of meals my non-culinary arts fan mom who didn’t really like to cook had put out to feed us. I remembered the dresses and shorts and clothes she had sewn and the cards she had crafted and the afghans she had crocheted and donated to hospitals. 

All I could think to say was…they are beautiful and look like love to me. 

And I meant it.

I realize Rachel saw me fresh off a 6 mile bike ride with her daughter trying to catch up with Papi and the boys, hair flattened by a helmet cause we set a good example, too busy most days to exercise and too emotional in my eating and she saw beyond the flesh and into my heart and I am so thankful.

Tell someone how beautiful they are today. 

Strive to see past the wrinkles and into the heart. 

Let love be your eyesight with your people.

Blessings <3