It reminded me how much influence women have on each other and how we need to use that influence in a way not to tear each other down, but rather to build each other up. I became more conscious of how easy it is to make fun or push someone away instead of finding the positives in them and letting them in to my life. And I was reminded how desperately each one of us needs to know we are desirable- how much I need to know that. As I contemplated these things, several questions weighed on my heart:
What makes a beautiful woman?
What makes me feel beautiful?
What has had the greatest impact on how I view myself and encouraged me to be myself?
What is/can be my beauty go-to for the days when I feel anything but beautiful?
What can I share with other women to encourage them to recognize their value and to be beautiful?
What makes a beautiful woman?
One of my favorite poems is Lord Byron’s She Walks in Beauty. The woman that he describes is the kind of woman that I would like to be.
"She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!"
When you read this poem, you don’t really come away with a
sense of what she looks like physically, but you feel an overwhelming sense of
the aura about her. She is graceful,
kind, virtuous and loving. She possesses
an inner beauty that shines so greatly that all can see. She knows that she is valuable and treats
herself and others with that same dignity.
This is a beautiful woman.
Audrey Hepburn was once asked to give her beauty tips. Her response sums everything up so well.
Audrey Hepburn was once asked to give her beauty tips. Her response sums everything up so well.
"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 or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived,
reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anybody.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands;
One for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,
the figure that she carries, or the way she combs 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 true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives and the passion that she shows.
The beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!"
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for stopping by. I love reading your thoughts! I respond mostly by e-mail so make sure you're not a no reply blogger!