Wednesdays with Wanda

This past weekend I got to go to BlissDom.

My precious sister went with me, and we had a ball!

As I was meeting all of my favorite bloggers, I couldn’t help but wish I could call Mom and tell her all about it. She would have been absolutely THRILLED for me.

It was because of her that I was there in the first place. She told me to start my blog a year ago, and it has been the best gift she has ever given me.

Though my trip to BlissDom was amazing, I have to admit that I had a lot of fun preparing for BlissDom too.

I was excited to get a couple of new outfits for my trip. And I actually planned on getting them at the mall, not Goodwill!

Those of you who know me, know that I don’t pamper myself very much. I like to dress up, but really…with 4 boys, it’s not very practical.

If I wear a fancy necklace, you can bet my two year old will rip it off of me.

And if I wear a nice outfit, it will have peanut butter and jelly on it before the day is through.

And heels…yeah right. How can you chase a two year old in heels?!

Plus, I love to craft. So I usually have paint stains on my hands, clothes, and hair.

I said all that to say this…I had so much fun trying to get all “prettied-up” for the Blissdom Conference.

I went shopping with my sister which was an absolute HOOT! Let’s just say she and I have different tastes in clothing. She likes a lot of “bling”, and I like a more casual look with a touch of “bling”. So we had a lot of laughs as we shopped. She even talked me into getting my nails and toes done. I did enjoy that!

Just like most women, I was stressing about what to wear to BlissDom. I wanted to look like I had it all together (though most of the time I don’t). And to be honest, I guess I hoped to impress my fellow bloggers. I wanted them to like me.

And as I prepared for BlissDom, I thought about Mom. I could hear her say, “Traci, sweetie, don’t worry about it. You look beautiful.”

My mom was beautiful. And since she has passed away, I have realized it even more. I knew when I was growing up that I had a pretty mom, but when I look at pictures of her now…to me she was gorgeous!

But like many of your moms, I don’t ever remember her getting a manicure or pedicure. Cyndi and I were talking in Nashville how we vividly remember Mom rushing to put on her nail polish in the car on the way to church.

Mom definitely never had a massage or spa treatments when I was growing up. She also never wore fancy clothes. She wore the same dresses to church year after year, and bought many of her clothes at yard sales and thrift stores.

But she was beautiful. Ask anyone that knew her, and they would say she was beautiful.

Why?

Because she knew where true beauty comes from.

³Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. ⁴Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 1 Peter 3:3,4

After Mom passed away, I inherited her computer. On it, she had a file titled, “Reflections and Poems”. In it, there was a folder titled “Beauty Tips”. The title caught me off guard because Mom never focused much on beauty tips or practices. But after I read it, it didn’t surprise me a bit.

I wanted to share it with you.

Beauty Tips

For attractive lips,

speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes,

seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure,

share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair,

let a child run his fingers through it once or twice a day.

For poise,

walk with the knowledge that you will never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand,

you’ll find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes that she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she wears her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty of a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows.

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This is the type of beauty I want, don’t you? This type of beauty never fades. It’s the type of beauty that people truly remember when you are gone.

My mom was beautiful.

Thank you for letting me share the thoughts beneath my heart,

Traci