Essential Oils: Trending or Mending?

At first I thought just trending. Mainly for those fancy pants women who can actually afford it, amiright?

I’ve been proven wrong and I’m here to tell about it. I will try to make this very matter-of-fact and to the point:

Essential oils have been around since before Jesus walked on this earth. His first gifts as a newborn baby included Frankincense and Myrrh! Cleansing with hyssop, the woman and her alabaster box, the woman who poured oils on his head…etc. Using oils for important purposes along with health benefits has been around way longer than this current fad.

So, why would I buy Young Living Oils (YL) when I can get some from Trader Joes for 20 bucks? DO YOUR RESEARCH. If you actually want the full health benefits of the oils then they should not be chemically engineered! Which farm did they come from? How did they get from plant to oil? Who is doing the work behind it and why?

I researched and found YL to be the most trustworthy by far. YL oils are 100% unadulterated. They tell me exactly where they grew the plants and how they got from being a full plant to being full oil in a little jar that I pour, sniff, dab, and roll. This has been my new conviction lately—Try not to use or eat something unless you know where it came from and the process of how it got from there to you.

Big question of this post : How did I stop being skeptical of people who use oils and decide to try them for myself? I got sick! And so did Ben. We both felt like poo, specifically with head congestion and sore throats.

His sweet mama, Kim, let us borrow her YL diffuser and a few oils, such as lavender, lemon, peppermint, and eucalyptus. She also gave us Young Living Vitamin C Chewables, which taste like big sweet tarts.

We decided not to reach for the Sudafed and instead use the oils.

And wow. First of all, it smelled real nice up in here. Second of all, our congestion headaches weakened and our nose blowing came to a stop within 1-2 days. The oils worked. We felt better. Give me more.

This started my new obsession with YL Oils and I haven’t left them behind since.
I’d like to share my TOP 10 suggestions with these oils from just the first month of me using them.

1. Headache: Put one drop of peppermint in your palm. Dab it with the tip of your tongue and place it on the roof of your mouth. Inhale. Exhale. Rub the excess together on your palms and breath it in and out. This also helps with motion sickness!! Can also diffuse peppermint & panaway.

2. Earache/ Swollen Lymph Nodes: Diffuse 1 drop eucalyptus, 2 drops lemon, 2 drops lavender, 2 drops peppermint, 1 drop thieves. Place your ear directly over the diffusing mist for about 1-2 minutes. Lift up and cup your hand over that same ear for another minute. Repeat 3 times a day until its gone. Mine felt better instantly and I was shocked. Never came back. Also, you can put a few drops of lavender on a cotton ball and put it in your ear, then rub lemon from your ear down your neck.

3. Stuffy Nose: Breath Again Roll-on. Ben has something I think to call “morning nose”. Basically every day of his life he wakes up with a stuffy nose and has to blow it multiple times in the morning. I got this for him and every night roll it on his temples, from ear down to neck, and make a cross on his chest, then rub it all in. The FIRST time I did this, the next morning he maybe blew his nose twice compared to his usual 20. I also used it in Uganda when I got a stuffy nose and it was gone within 2 days.

4. Allergies: Diffuse lavender, lemon, and peppermint every night (and day if needed) during your personal allergies season and be blessssssed. I normally take Allegra D or Claritin D EVERY FALL AND SPRING. To a T. It’s October 22 and I have yet to take a single dose of one. My body is thanking me big time because allergy pills are not helpful with bathroom routines if ya know what I mean.

5. Bathroom Issues: Speaking of which… Hello to this wonderful new friend named DiGize. Traveling has the potential to either really stop you up or really make you go. For me it’s the first one (sorry TMI for some people, just skip it if you don’t like potty talk). In our trip to Uganda, almost 5 days went by without success. That is no fun. I decided to rub DiGize on my lower abdomen and massage in a clockwise rotation for about 1 minute. 2 hours passed by and so did other great things. PTL. 2 days later I did the same thing, and the same thing happened. Apparently clockwise makes you go, counter-clockwise helps you stop going—that’s the way our bowels work.

6. Facial Moisturizer: Frankincense, I love you. I wash my face with Alaffia Coconut Oil face wash I got from Moms Organic Market. Then I use Pure Fiji Day Cream I got from the one and only Pearl Spa and Boutique (I miss working there!). Before rubbing the cream on my face I mix 1 drop of Frankincense in. My skin has never been healthier or softer!

7. Vitamins: Multigreens, Super C, B-12, and Ninxgia Red. All the goods your body could ever need. Vitamins mixed with natural remedies and essential oils. My immune system is getting stronger every

day.

8. Cleaning: Thieves is amazing for everything + it smells like cinnamon and Christmas. Lemon has been mind-blowing as well. Specially getting burnt-in oils off of pans. AND best one yet—I got a dab of black Sharpee on our light beige colored cloth couch and thought I was screwed. I put 1 drop of lemon on it. Scared me big time because the oil made the Sharpee dot even bigger. Then I grabbed a cloth with cold water and regular clear colored soap (although thieves soap is on my wish list) and I rubbed the Sharpee stain right out. Amazing. Thank you lemon.

9. Smelly Odors: We painted our walls with fresh white paint one day, during which I opened the windows and diffused purification, lemon, and peppermint throughout our house. The realtor walks in an hour or so after painting and says, “Wow, it smells really good in here!” Yall. Paint is STRONG and does not smell good. Purification oil is the bomb for getting rid of smells asap.

10. Make Up: Mineral Make-up is not tested on animals, and uses essential oils in it! It is so pretty and so great because I know its not destroying my skin, but actually helping it. I normally don’t even like make-up, but this stuff makes me want to wear it!

Things I still want to try:

1. Stretch Marks: Coconut oil mixed with frankincense, lavender, and copaiba (all come in starter kit) rub in circular motions on stretch mark area.

2. Longer Lashes: 2 drops cedarwood, 1 drop rosemary, 3 drops lavender mixed with 2 tsps V-6 essential oil or almond oil in an empty mascara container. Apply every night before bed.

+ Longer Hair: Cedarwood, rosemary, lavender, and peppermint mixed with a little bit of apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, and water. I created this in a spray bottle and used it once, which made my hair really soft, but have been traveling since and haven’t brought it with me!

I will keep you updated if these work!

Things I learned the hard way:

1. Check to see if you need to dilute your oils before putting them on your skin! I put Panway right on my temples once and it burrrrrrned. Milk helps if that happens btw, but read about it beforehand! Water makes all oils penetrate deeper, so don’t try to stop the burning with that…

2. Do not diffuse Eucalyptus at night unless you have a stuffy nose or are congested. It dries you out! I was doing this for a few nights just because I liked the smell, but my lips became extra dry until I figured it out.

If you’re interested in trying YL oils:

Message me! I’m so happy with them, and would love to help you however I can.

This is a really awesome time for us right now to be apart of the YL community because whoever buys a Starter Kit (11 everyday oils + diffuser + samples) for a value of $320, gets it all for only $160, AND $50 of that price goes towards Ben and I moving to Jinja, Uganda to work at The Amazima Secondary School. The school is also supported by Young Living! They have donated diffusers and oils to use in offices, students’ dorm areas, and their medical clinic!!!

Ben got burned by a Nairobi Fly (if you kill them on your skin they are more poisonous than Cobra’s venom) so his skin was red and inflamed, and we went to the nurses station where they gave us Young Living lavender oil and tea tree oil to put on it daily until it heals. Ben said it was very soothing, and his neck is slowly getting back to normal! This stuff is legit.

Help support your health. Help support our mission.

HERE IS THE LINK to get your YL Starter Kit.

You will have a large community of support along the way. Thanks for reading about all the goods these oils have done so far. I hope to talk with you soon!

Ps: Christmas is coming, what an amazing gift this would be ;)

Love from Laura.

My YL Sponsor #: 12848526

A Journey to Joy

A post for Grace Community Church, Grace 14:18 Ministry:

A Journey to Joy, 1993-2003—this was the title of the large pink scrapbook that instantly made my eyes well up like the stormy April clouds outside. Sitting in Starbucks, Nancy Deems took me through her journey to joy. Hardly knowing my name, she became transparent and vulnerable through her heart-warming book that she created 11 years ago. I could immediately tell this wasn’t just any scrapbook, but one of pain, healing, and triumph– one of true joy, written from God’s heart through hers.

“Our adoption story began when our infertility story ended,” she explained. That infertility story includes 10 years of infertility, a try at Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), four rounds of In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), and two unsuccessful pregnancies. The story includes sorrow, pain, doubt, shame, loneliness, and many tears. It includes questions like: Why me? Can you hear me, God…did you forget me? Why her and not me? When is it our turn? Is this even worth it?

Some of you reading this may resonate. You may resonate because a friend or family member has gone through infertility, and you carried that weight with them. Maybe you resonate because this was your own story written many years back as well. Or perhaps you resonate because these questions were asked for the umpteenth time last night, and these feelings are present right now. Please know that you are not alone. Nancy’s story is proof.

Glenn Deems tied the knot with her in 1986 while she was finishing up her Bachelor’s degree in Math and Computer Science, and he was working in youth ministry. Nancy had her life plan figured out: graduate college, work as many years as she went to school, have babies. We know now that God had a different plan. They began trying to get pregnant when she was 28 years old, and then did not ask her doctor until she was 36 years old what was going wrong. She and Glenn were both Christians, trusted God, and thought they were doing everything right—so why wasn’t anything happening?

While lying flat on a bed during her last egg transfer, God used a woman lying down in the bed next to her to plant a seed. The woman spoke with hope saying, “If this doesn’t work, I am done. My husband and I have completed our home study and we are in the process of adopting.” Nancy didn’t think much of it at the time, but it stuck with her. After this last failed treatment, God again came into her pain by using a nurse to ask her a challenging question: “Do you want to be pregnant or do you want to be a parent?” Both Glenn and Nancy knew their answer.

Sarah and Rachael, 2-year-old twins, came home with Glenn and Nancy from Tula, Russia in 2003. Glenn was 44 and Nancy turned 40 the month they brought their new daughters home. Nancy shared, “God really does have a sense of humor, because from the day we came home, if you didn’t know my children were adopted, you wouldn’t. We would smile when strangers would say one looked like Glenn and the other like me.”

A journey to joy– the joy of motherhood. The large pink scrapbook held pictures, cards, notes, and journal accounts of Nancy and Glenn during their journey through infertility, pain, loss, hope, and adoption. The book concluded with pictures of the sweetest little girls finding their forever home in Nancy and Glenn’s arms.

Below are interview questions answered by Nancy:

How did you grow individually and/or as a couple through your adoption experience?

In the years leading up to our adoption journey our marriage had survived some of life’s difficult times:  losing a parent, grandparent, moving, changing jobs and unsuccessful IVF. Had we not had a strong marriage commitment and strong Christian faith, I don’t know if our marriage would’ve survived.
By the time we’d agreed to adopt internationally, the process itself helps you grow together because you go through a very thorough process knowing at the end a baby IS coming home, not just a chance of a baby.  It’s a little like pregnancy but with one perk– you can request boy or girl, or more than one, but there’s still that surprise when you get the referral call and see for the first time this child who could one day be yours.

Did you have any “side by side” experiences of another person or couple that prayed with or encouraged you?

Glenn and I led a married couple’s small group for a few years and they were always supportive through the various infertility treatments, and through the adoption process.  Even though our small group was there for us, I felt so isolated in my deep despair with every passing failure. I would wear the canned smile for everyone to see but I felt forgotten by God and so sad.
During the adoption process, the “side by side” interactions were more positive because there were milestones along the way to encourage us in that we were one step closer.

What sustained you as you waited?  Since your children came home?

I’ve rarely admitted in public how short our wait time was, because I was sensitive to the setbacks and long wait times of others.  We have a great waiting parents group through our adoption agency, some of whom we still keep in touch with.  I joined CAMOM (Columbia Area Mother of Multiples) and MOPS [now Moms Together] at Chapelgate, and they provided all the support a new mom could ever want. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the dads.  I always felt like Glenn’s challenges were a bit different than mine because there were months of attachment issues and I know that hurt him some days. Glenn felt like there was nothing for him concerning support.

What are your hopes for the Adoption Ministry at Grace?  The role you would like to play?

My hopes for this ministry is that it would be more than just a one Sunday a year event, Orphan Sunday, but that we could provide a network of support for the various stages of the process. The number one role that I would like to play is to be the “side by side” for the woman who is going through infertility. I know those emotional roller coaster months, whether you’re just taking your temperature every day, if you’re investing every resource in IVF for the 15 percent chance of having a baby, enduring daily blood draws and self-injections, dosage calls, egg retrieval, egg transfer, progesterone shots, waiting and failing. I know what it’s like to have your bathroom feel like a pharmacy, and if you want to call I will talk to you. If you feel like you’re wasting another $10,000, I understand and I get it. I wish I had a friend like that when I was going through it, but I didn’t, so I will be one. That’s who I want to be “side by side” with.

Also, for the woman who’s considering adoption and asking all the questions – domestic or foreign, where will we get the money, and all the endless paperwork and approvals and waiting – I want to give hope to those women. No one could have told me 15-20 years ago that God would take my greatest sorrow, greatest regret, greatest valley and use it to share hope and ultimately my journey to joy in being a mom.

–Laura Douglass, GraceKids Intern: https://gcconline.org/a-journey-to-joy/

Mikey's Story

A post for Grace Community Church, GEMs Ministry:
Every Sunday morning at 9:15 am, Kari O’Reilly is getting her steps in between totZone and kidZone. Why? Because she is a GraceGEMs Coach! GEMs is our ministry that walks side-by-side with families of children and young adults who are diagnosed with special needs– God’s Exceptional Miracles.

When I had the privilege of shadowing Kari, I assumed she worked with children in this field or had some experience of the sort. She sure did, but rather as a mother. Kari and her husband, Mike, were blessed with Mikey and Katie as their two children, one just happens to be on the other side of Heaven with Jesus now. This is part of his story, and it continues on today.

Mikey was 24 years old on October 23, 2015 when he had his “Angel Day,” as the O’Reilly family calls it. From the day he was born to the day that he became whole in Heaven, Kari never left his side, even though the doctors had told her not to even take Mikey home from the hospital because, “He won’t make it through his first year.” 

With an Apgar score of 2 out of 10, Mikey started seizing right away, his right lung collapsed, and they had to intubate him immediately before rushing him to the closest children’s hospital. Doctors had told Kari’s parents they would be calling to let Kari and Mike know that night that their newborn had passed away. Before dawn, Kari had this odd feeling to call the nurses and check on him. Mikey’s nurse told her, “I don’t know how to explain this to you, but Mikey’s lung has just completely re-inflated. He’s breathing on his own.” Kari’s dad said, “I know how to explain it: Your grandma has been on the phone all night calling every Christian she knows across the nation to pray for him.”

Mikey defied all odds despite his dismal prognosis of cerebral palsy, microcephaly, spastic quadriplegia and mental retardation. As he grew older, complications increased and were added to by a number of medical diagnoses.  He faced numerous hospitalizations: spinal fusion, hip surgeries, feeding tube placement, lung lobectomy and a number of other health related concerns. Finally, it all became too much. Kari stated, “Even though he was only 24, Mikey was like an 85 year old man inside from everything he had to go through, yet never progressed above a 6 month old level.”

So, can the Holy Spirit work in children like Mikey? Absolutely.

“Mikey led me to my salvation,” Kari proclaimed. She grew up in a family that said as long as you just believe John 3:16 to be true, you’re good. It wasn’t until September 1999, living at a new duty station with her husband deployed to a war zone and two small children, when Kari knew she needed more. She threw herself down on her family room floor and cried out to God, “I can’t do this anymore!” Her heart heard a soft reply, “I know, but I can.”  God had used Mikey to call her to Himself.

Kari knows that Mikey, and kids with similar challenges, have the same capacity to reach people for Jesus as any of us do, if not more. Through tears, she concluded, “Mikey went through more than what 100 people should go through. There were times it was flat out horrible. Yet, he would still try to make you feel better if you were down. He taught me, and all who were blessed to know him, what godly love truly is.” 

Mikey’s story is just one. We know there are many more, and GraceGEMs is here for you—whether to serve with or be served by! And to parents like Mike and Kari, we would love to walk by your side and believe in your child just as Christ does.

Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” -John 9:3

Below are interview questions answered by Kari:

1. What was it like going to church with a child who was diagnosed with special needs?

Being a military family, we’ve been all over– California, Hawaii, Texas, Virginia, Arizona, Georgia, and Maryland. Our best experience was when the kids and I went to a small church in Georgia of about 200 people. Mikey tended to vocalize at the quietest part of a sermon. Our pastor never let it faze him and would just say, “Mikey says AMEN,” and then the whole church would say “Amen!” They had a special friends program through AWANA as well. Yet, I taught Sunday school in an old building without an elevator, so Mike had to stay home with Mikey, at least when he was not deployed. Mike was gone 2.5 out of 5 years in Georgia, starting when the kids were 3 and 8.

Nancy and Barry Mauldin were side by side with me and became our surrogate family. They were there. The church was there. In 2002, Mikey was rushed to the children’s medical center due to a severe case of acute pancreatitis, which placed him in a medical coma. All I did was call Nancy and say I need help. Katie basically lived with them for the 28 days while Mikey was in the hospital, and they had 3 daughters of their own. Church families took turns bringing us dinner; elders were there for us too. Specifically, Bill Small was a continuous source of support for Mike and I. He later baptized both kids—that’s another story, and box of Kleenex!

2. Why did you decide to become a GEMs coach? 

God had me learn a lot by taking care of Mikey, and even though my own mission work with him is done, the mission is still there. Taking what I have learned and being able to help other families is rewarding. It is giving reverence to what God had me learn, and it heals me by letting me keep Mikey in a sense. If you told me the day Mikey died that I would survive a month without him I would probably have given you “the look” –the heartache was just too immense.

Our Heavenly Father works all things to bring glory to Him. When Jill Maddox reached out saying she needed more volunteers with the GEMs ministry, I felt God was telling me this was a way I could honor my son’s memory, but more importantly, honor God. I’m not a teacher, doctor or therapist, but I understand what these families are going through because my family lived it. How could I not give back what God had given to me? 

3. What would be your biggest advice to families who have children with special needs? 

Let people help you. God is going to put people in your life for a reason, and you don’t have to be a hero by always saying, “I can do it, I got this.” Let others be there for you. It is OK to take some time for yourself. I didn’t do that enough. Yet, my mantra with Mikey was that I never wanted to look back wishing I’d done more for him.  But the line between “doing more” and exhaustion usually isn’t recognized until it’s been crossed.

One thing that has always stuck with me is that God never makes a mistake. He could have chosen anyone throughout the history of the world to be Mikey’s mom, yet he chose me. That is very humbling. What on Earth could I have done to have God gift me with such a miracle? Nothing! God gives as only He knows how to do.  He knew Mikey needed me just as much as I needed Mikey. My husband would be the first to tell you that Mikey is his hero. It’s true. Mikey was truly a blessing and I learned more from him– even though he never could utter a single word.

I would tell new parents to trust in God. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” This really was my cornerstone for all the years I was blessed to be Mikey’s mommy.  I pray other families understand that they were chosen by God to be this child’s parent! 

4. And your biggest advice to Grace families in general?

For people walking side by side with GEMs, I would emphasize empathy.  There are so many ways to bless a family with special needs. As rewarding as it is to work with the kids each week, I recognize it is not everyone’s gift. How about sending a card, taking them a meal, calling them and letting them talk without judging or even saying a word? Maybe you can help with their other children.  Katie adored her older brother and misses him immensely, but [she] would tell you that the next hardest thing to being the parent of a child with special needs is to be the sibling. I know what it’s like to feel desolate and alone, and I don’t want anyone to experience that. We are all part of the body of Christ.  When we sit back and do nothing while one of our brothers or sisters is in need we go directly against what God has commanded us to do. I’m reminded of what the Bible says in Matthew 25:40, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”  How awesome to be able to help these exceptional children and their families knowing it is bringing all glory to Our Father in Heaven!

–Laura Douglass, GraceStudents Intern: https://gcconline.org/mikeys-story/

Parents of children with special needs, Grace Community Church would love to connect with you: Contact gracegems@gcconline.org 

Arrive

Begin

Arrive

Brace yourselves for a sappy analogy: 

Today I sat in my final undergrad class. I half took notes, half read one of my books [of choice].

These 5 years in college have felt like walking/swimming, breathing under and through water...a large body of water; thus, why I felt these pics from San Diego, CA were appropriate.

I handed my shirt & purse to my homes, Cdra, and headed towards the water, while everyone else walked around it like normal people. I remember being excited as I began to step in, feet still steady on the ground. Then it got deeper and colder.

Now I'm in the middle of this lake on the verge of an anxiety attack. It felt like the cold, dark water blocked all of my breathing passages. The boats were a heck of a lot bigger when I'm just a little face floating on the surface. Mind = “Are there sharks in here, ‘cause I think my foot just touched one?!” I thought I was going to drown, and then I remembered I'm fully capable of swimming. Stop. Breath. Swim. Arrive.

College… same pattern. It didn’t come easy to me like walking around, but rather swimming through. From community college, to cosmetology school, back to community college, then to UMD, with altogether 6 different majors...there were many points I felt like I was drowning. I have always commuted-- never lived on campus. My pops and I had a financial deal (thanks for helping me graduate DEBT FREE, love you long time, you too Ma). I went to class full-time, went to work part-time, came home and studied, repeat. Anxiously awaiting to arrive. 

And so I have. 2 online finals and 1 written early Monday morning, and I am a college grad. The day is actually in sight. I’m not walking, because I already swam ;) [See how I did that?] But really, best way for me to celebrate is by being surrounded by my family and friends, picking some MD crabs, and drinking a cold one—not walking across a stage—personal opinions.

My Bachelor’s of Science degree will be in Family Science, along with a 90-hour Early Childhood Teaching Certification-- total of a 3.7 GPA. I have met people that I never would have met, learned things I never would’ve known, and challenged myself beyond any other challenge by going to college. Did I enjoy it? Most of the time, no. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. Perseverance takes on a whole new definition for me. I didn’t quit, and that feels good.

To my 18-year-old, or however many year old, friends about to go to college + those currently in the cold, darkness of “I think I’m drowning”—you are not, you will make it, it is worth it if you have been given this opportunity. Arrive.

Then do it again.

My next arrival point is the most exciting opportunity I have ever been offered. And it is only because I got through these 5 years first. Stay tuned reader friends, I cannot wait to tell you!

Love from Laura.

Ps. Thank you to my wonderful husband, Benjamin [Ben-ha-mean], who helped me get through this final year by allowing me to focus on my school work, rather than that cash-money $$$ work. You da you da best. And SHOUTOUT TO JESUS the real MVP keeping me sane with his peace that the world doesn't offer me, heyyyyyy. 

"Let Me Be Your Mirror"

Make-Up,

Because apparently you’re looking down.

Turtle Bay, Hawaii : All Naturrrralll

Bags under your eyes

That have short and thin lashes

Pinkless cheeks

Accompanied by a blemish

Or two times a few

Lips of natural color

Should be duller or brighter

Are you sick?

You look tired today.

Thought you were a boy, but then I saw your hair.

Curled hair, or straightened

Change to what you don’t have

Color with lightener

Touch up those roots

What does your natural hair look like?

You don’t even know anymore…

nor do you want to.

Shave this

Tuck That

Suck it in

Burn the fat

Shorter than average

Add a heel

Too tall

Make ‘em flat

Flat like a board

Push ‘em up

Top heavy tipping over

Cover ‘em up.

Make-Up,

Because apparently you were looking down.

A few weekends ago, Ben and I went to the MAC in Bmore where he’s a member. We swam half a mile, and it felt so good! Afterwards we went on a little adventure to Artifact Coffee, which tasted so good! Yet, in between the two I showered and got ready for the rest of the day. I was debating between wearing my hair naturally curly by air drying, or blow drying it straight. I went with curly because I didn’t want to make Ben wait another hour...

Then I started putting on my make-up: concealer around the eyes, bronzer for the cheeks, sparkles for the eye lids, and lastly mascara for the lashes. When I was on this last step of mascara a little girl came in from the pool to get ready as well. She walked up to the mirror next to mine, looked at me putting on make up, went up on her tippy-toes to see herself, looked at her face intensely, touched her cheek, and fixed a crease in her hair, looked at me again, then headed to the showers. I felt a small whisper of my heart tell me, “They’re watching.”

We are telling girls to be all that they can be—tell the boys, anything you can do I can do better! They are capable of anything they set their minds to. We are also telling them to change themselves. The way they were created, knit together, is not good enough, not pretty enough. I pictured having a daughter one day, and preaching to her that she is fearfully and wonderfully made, all the while I am adding on to how God made me.

Conviction clearly hit me. At the same time, make-up can be so fun! I know many people that use make-up as art, and they are so talented--I truly respect that. I felt like a pretty princess on my wedding day, and a lot of that had to do with my hair and make-up! Yet, I should feel like a pretty princess without hair and make-up as well. 

And that is where I have a problem. If I look in the mirror all natural and do not see beautiful, then I’m telling God He did it wrong, and made ugly. I shouldn’t feel like I have to make my lashes longer, skin tanner, scars covered, lips brighter, hair straighter..etc. Our culture has affected me more than I was aware of, and I’m done with it. I will only wear make-up if I want to do it for fun, to add a little sparkle here or there. I will not wear make-up everyday of the week to “hide my ugly” or “put my face on.” Get outta here with that, ladies. Show your strength through your natural beauty, because you really are beautiful just the way you are.

To conclude, here is Ben and I’s new fave song by Alessia Cara: Scars To Your Beautiful

Love from Laura.