Thankful for a Smile

You know those days when you feel like all you have to offer someone is a smile?
Or when someone's given you a smile and it really does just make your day so much better?
What if you didn't even have that to offer?

There are some kids who don't.
And more than that, for some, it's life-threatening -- babies who are born with cleft palates and cleft lips have difficulty eating, which can lead to starvation. They also have frequent ear infections and dental problems.
In some cases, children given up for adoption with cleft palates or cleft lips have a lesser chance of being adopted.

Operation Smile is an organization that performs life-changing surgeries on kids born with cleft palates and cleft lips. The surgeries are free of charge to the families, who often can't begin to afford the procedure on their own.

If this is a cause you'd like to support, please donate here.

Remember, even when you've got nothing to give, you have a smile.
Be thankful for that.

This post has been sponsored by Campus Book Rentals.
Campus Book Rentals sends a donation to Operation Smile for every book bought and rented.

I lied. And also, I wish mermaids were real.

Okay, so that hiatus?

Consider it ended.

And also, I really wish mermaids were real.

I mean . . . like a lot.

Think about it: you go to the beach, you're out there swimming and minding your own business, when something swims by.

You think "Oh sweet Jesus, it's a shark!"

But no.

It's not a shark.

It's a mermaid who 1) either wants to play with you, or 2) wants to mesmerize you with the voice of a siren and pull you under and eat you.

I mean, how cool is that?

Space Travel? Whatevs.

I feel like this generation is sort of jaded.

No, not in terms of morality - though I think that is true - that's not actually what I mean this time.

I think we've lost sight of what real ingenuity and creativity is.

Point en case: in a class yesterday, we were starting technical writing projects on drones. To get us thinking (it was 8 in the morning), our professor played some clips of robots used today. One of them was the landing of the NASA Discovery Mars rover.

And nobody really cared.

Fifty years ago, that would have been breathtaking and incredible. 

Now it's just . . . meh. 

I mean, we put men on the Moon and brought them back with computers less capable than our smartphones. 

Yes, that's terrifying to think about, but that means that the people involved with that had to know what to do. 

They had to do the math in their heads or with scratch paper. 

They had to be willing to put their lives on the line for that goal. (And think about how awful it would be to die in space if it failed. . .)

They were dreamers. 

But more than that, they were thinkers and doers.

Granted, technology has grown and evolved by leaps and bounds, and I'm not faulting that - I love technology. 

I'm not really sure I'm "faulting" anything.

I'm just lamenting the lack of wonder in our generation. 

I'm lamenting the fact that we don't look at the sea with wonder, remembering that we can go miles and miles down and see the creatures God made.

I'm lamenting the fact that most of us can barely see the stars anymore, and when we do, we don't remember that God knows each of them by name, and that we've put people on the Moon, and rovers on Mars.

I'm lamenting the fact that singers and songwriters with real talent aren't recognized for it, and the fame goes instead to somebody who will shock you rather than move you.

We need to recapture the innocence, the wonder, and the appreciation of simple things that we've lost. . .

A Realistic Self-Image

I'm sure a lot of us made New Year's Resolutions to lose some extra pounds.

I know I did.

But what do we really want?

To have a smaller number on the scale (which nobody knows but us), or to look slimmer?

If I were to be honest . . . it would have been the latter last year.

But not this year.

What changed?

My self-image.

How I see myself has changed, and for the better.

This is really hard to do, and took a while for me, but it's worth it.

And pretty simple. 

Skinny does not necessarily equal healthy.

For some, it might, but not for everyone.

For years, I thought I'd have to be skinny to be healthy, or pretty, or anything, but now I see that's not the case.

Now, I'm not one to get my advice from Hollywood, but I kinda like Jennifer Lawrence as a person (and no, I haven't seen the Hunger Games, nor do I plan to).

This quote is from Pinterest, so if it's not really her, sorry, but it sounds like something she'd say. 

In Hollywood, I’m obese. I’m considered a fat actress. I’m never going to starve myself for a part. I keep waiting for that one role to come along that scares me enough into dieting, and it just can’t happen. I’m invincible. I don’t want little girls to be like, ‘Oh, I want to look like Katniss, so I’m going to skip dinner.’ That’s something that I was really conscious of during training. I was trying to get my body to look fit and strong, not thin and underfed.

Now that is a good mindset.

But think about it.

How many models, actresses, and normal girls look like they haven't eaten in days?

Too many, I think.

Seems like everyone thinks it's cooler to be thin.

Don't get me wrong; it's not bad to be thin - it's just . . . well, a bit overrated.

It would probably surprise you to learn that less than a hundred years ago, curvy girls were considered "more beautiful".

That's not entirely correct either, but do you know what makes everyone change their minds?

The media.

All of it.

Ever see some of those "plus size" models?

Ever notice how they look . . . well, normal?

Since when was that not attractive?

Since when was that weird?

Since when did preteen girls care about how many calories they had?

To say it's only the media's portrayal of weight and obesity would be a lie, but I'm only trying to make one point here, and you have to admit that that's certainly a large part of it.

Anyhow, what I'm trying to say is that even if you do lose all the weight you said you would, and even if you do fit into your high school jeans again . . . will you really, honestly be happy with yourself? Or will you never be slim enough or light enough?

God made you as you are for a reason.

Heck, maybe you're the way you are just to encourage someone like you who may struggle with the same thing. You never know.

And while you may not like it now, He does, and He doesn't make mistakes, nor is He ever mistaken.

I once heard someone (I think Chip Ingram, but I'm not sure) say that the trick is you have to think of yourself correctly: you shouldn't think of yourself too highly, but you shouldn't think of yourself too lowly, either.

Thinking of yourself too highly results in pride, arrogance, and a general sense of annoyance to everyone around you.

Thinking of yourself too lowly results in depression, bitterness, and a lack of joy, which will be felt by everyone you're around, believe me.

Thinking accurately about yourself allows you to 1) see what areas might need improvement and 2) see what's genuinely great about yourself.

So no, you may never fit into that size you wanted, or see the number you wanted when you step on the scale, or get picture perfect skin, or have hair that actually does what you want it to, but you're still made in the image of God, and as long as you're taking care of your temple, you're beautiful, even when you don't feel like you are.

"Singing" versus SINGING

This may be beating a dead horse, but this occurred to me whilst in the shower, so it's automatically groundbreaking. 

Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) was a sensation when she was 16, right?

Me and a lot of my friends thought she had been pushed out onto the stage too early and didn't give her voice time to develop. That may be true, but I realized something the other day - 

Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum) was also 16 in Phantom of the Opera. And when I say Christine Daae, I don't just mean the character: I mean Emmy too. 

This brings us to an unpleasant thing to admit: I was mistaken about voice maturation. 

(That means I was . . . um . . . wrong.)

But I was right about something else: Miley never really had it. Sorry HM fans. 

Emmy was trained in some opera school, I think. That's crazy! You know how much talent you have to have to be accepted . . . ? Yeah, a LOT. 

So yeah, either you got it or you don't.

And yes, I am a music snob.

How my Mother Saved my Life

Yes, this is a true story.

I will say first off that unused appliances scare me. And by "unused", I mean unused by me. And if you're still not sure what I'm talking about, check out this guest post I did not too long ago; it explains everything.

Allow me to set the stage: I've been house sitting for the past two or three weeks - a weekish at one house, two days between and now at another house. 

The first house had a lovely kitchen with a stove very much like the one I use at home.

Easy to cook on?

The second house has a lovely kitchen . . . with a gas stove . . .

Um. . .

Easy to cook on?

Which means I didn't have a clue how to use it.

I'd turn the knob, and it'd click repeatedly, and all I could think of was the house blowing up, so I'd turn it off in a hurry.

I actually ended up cooking a frozen meal in the microwave (which I never do) because I had no clue how to use the oven.

Now, how my lovely mother factors into this.

We were chatting on Facebook, and she asked what I was planning on having for dinner.

I said I didn't know.

Somehow, the stove situation came up, and she's like "Oh, those are easy".

She coached me step-by-step through how to use it.

And it worked.

God bless the mothers who make sure their "independent" children are able to cook for themselves.

Chick-Fil-A Day!

This is Chick-Fil-A at noon.

I'm actually not a huge fan of chicken, so I'm not there a whole lot, but dang . . . I've never seen it this busy!!!

There were only four parking spaces available when we got there, and people were already parked up and down the residential street. I think a couple even parked all the way over at McDonald's across the highway! (Talk about awkward -- walking to your car at MickyD's with a bag of Chick-Fil-A . . .)

I was pretty sure it would be busy; I think a few people are eating lunch and dinner there!

I have to admit I'm a bit worried about Friday . . . the . . . um . . . "event" that's supposed to happen that day. I don't think it will be a big deal here, but I pray parents will be wise enough not to take their children there Friday in cities where it will be pretty bad.

Just seeing the support people were showing for Biblical family values . . . It was awesome. God has really blessed Chick-Fil-A for their obedience and willingness to close every store on Sundays because it's the Sabbath. It's just incredible.

Though I do have to say, there are few feelings quite like wanting a CFA milkshake after Sunday dinner and realizing that just ain't gonna happen . . .

 

A (Crafty) Lesson Learned . . .

So, I have this shop on Etsy.
And I've been experimenting with different projects.
Well, I haven't taken art in years, but I remember that I can't paint.
I always get way too caught up in the details and don't spend enough time on the big picture.
Well, I decided to give it another shot: I'm making a plaque for this girly that I babysit. 
It's got Psalm 27:1 on it with "Lord" and "light" in pink glow in the dark.
I briefly considered buying a stencil sheet for the lettering, but was all like, "Eh, people love my handwriting; I can totally freehand this!"
Ha.
Again, I say ha. 
NOPE.
I mean, I freehanded(?) it okay, but it looks a bit childish. I suppose that's okay, as it is for a child's room, but . . . I dunno, I had higher hopes for it.
Oh well.
Next time, I'm getting the stencils.
. . .
Ha, who do I think I'm kidding?
No I won't.