A peek inside my quirky, analytical, creative mind....My style is much like a sprinkle of Erma Bombeck, a dash of Dave Barry, and a good helping of humor and spiritual application throughout.
Each week Gypsy Mama chooses a word to write about for five minutes. No editing, stream of consciousness. Today's word is: Worship.
Ready. Set. Write. Worship seems like such a lofty word, but I've learned through my spiritual journey that worship is not only important, but occurs (or should occur) daily in my life. When I first was part of a worship team (worship here being through music) my mentor worship pastor sat the eight of us down and said "You are the worship leaders in every service. You help bring those in the congregation to the throne of God to offer worship." Wow, talk about the heavy responsibility that put on my heart. That worship pastor was Michael Smith (not THE Michael Smith, but in my life, THE Michael Smith). He still leads worship today at a church near Nashville that I often get to visit, but when I think of worship, and how to do it most effectively, his lessons are the ones I recall. Worship is an act. It can be through music, through giving of our time and money. It can be simply giving God glory. I long to understand worship even more than I do today. I think I take my opportunity to worship for granted. Lest the mountains and hill cry out when I don't.
I've been to more Mary Kay parties than I can count. I've done Aveda classes to learn about the best skin treatments for my face. I've used every brand known to man. Yet, I have a beauty regiment that only costs you $15 and the different products will last for a month or more. I always get complimented for my young-looking complexion. I really have to thank my Mom and Dad for great genes. My Mom had a wonderfully smooth skin texture and I inherited that smoothness. My Dad had Cherokee Indian blood in him that I inherited and he looked extremely young for his age. His older sister, my Aunt Goldie, looks about 70 and she's 93. So most of the credit goes to God for allowing me to come from a great gene pool. But, if you are looking for a simple, gentle way to cleanse and moisturize your face for a mere $15, you're about to find out. Follow along for your frugal path to facial freedom...
Step 1 - Product: Huggies Cucumber Green Tea Baby Wipes Though used for babies, these wipes are gentle and refreshing due to their ingredients. They are also superb for travel as well. Use these to remove eye makeup and to prep your face for cleansing. Step 2 - Product: Pond's Cold Cream This cold cream has been around since the late 1800s (yep you read that right), and it has worked for over 100 years to clean the face of many a woman. Once you've prepped with your Huggies Wipe, use the cold cream to deep cleanse your face. Step 3 - Product: Curel Moisturizing Lotion Of all the moisturizers on the market, Curel is by far my favorite. It's like the Dove of lotions. It's gentle enough for your face, yet strong enough to moisturize any part of your body. After the cold cream cleanse, apply the moisturizing lotion to your face. That's it! Three steps, $15. Simple and effective. And, you're welcome.
Turn on any news or entertainment show and you'll see the latest wedding dance video going viral on the internet. This video of a Mother and Son dance is by far my favorite....and probably partly because I know and love this family. Pippa (the Mom) is the daughter of two of the sweetest people I knew before they went on to their home in Heaven. They were great friends of my parents and there is something quite comforting knowing all four are now there together having an amazing time. Pete (the Son) I've know since he was little and is handsome and smart all in the same package. I'm besties with his sister, Amy, and adore all his other siblings as well. The family has a love and unity that the world needs more of...and when you watch this dance, you'll see the joy this family has. They could write a book on 'How to deal when tragedy strikes' but you'd never know it. Good people. Comfort people. Love these people.
I work in an area of town where the Canadian Geese reside. There are a lot of little lakes and water sources that draw those flying birds to the area. I've worked in this area for the last 10 years or so and have had a lot of time to observe their behavior. At one place of employment, we had a lake behind our building. In front of our building was a circular drive with a large grassy area that housed our flagpoles. It was there that our geese family resided when it was time to nest in the Spring to welcome in the new gaggle of goslings. This was exciting and dangerous all at the same time. Exciting because we got to witness the Momma Goose as she trained her little geese, but dangerous prior to their appearance. The Poppa Goose would stand guard around that circular drive to ward off anyone who appeared to be a threat to his family. Of course we were just trying to enter the door to go to work. I dreaded dodging Poppa Goose everyday, but knew once the babies arrived, things would be better. Needless to say, over the years, I've learned to co-habitate with these creatures. And I've learned to appreciate them as well and be respectful when they slowly cross the street or protect their unborn little ones. The other day I was leaving work and driving down the street where my company is located. Very often, there are times when you have to stop and allow the geese to cross. I presume the 25 mph speed limit on this road is partially due to the amount of geese-crossing events that occur. I saw about 12 geese in the median and slowly making their way to cross the street so I slowed down. There is something peaceful about letting geese take their own sweet time in crossing the street. They have not a care in the world. God provides for all their needs, so they just enjoy life. As I was sitting there taking in the awesomeness of God's creatures, I realized two geese were slowly making their move. They were still munching on the grass but realized the rest of their group had moved on. I knew they'd be making their move to the street, so I waited, knowing if I didn't I might accidentally hit one. In the lane next to me, those vehicles weren't as patient. Once the first 10 crossed, the truck moved on, and then, just as the two slow geese started across the road, the car in that lane sped around at a fast speed to get on with his busy life (whatever) before those geese slowed him down. As I watched this unfold, even I was startled, but those two geese were very startled. I saw them abruptly stop and the poor things did the equivalent of "peeing in your pants" right in the street. It made me want to go slug that driver. Now, I'm not one of those tree huggers or people who care more about animals than humans, but this event taught me a lesson. We are way too busy for our own good. I would bet that most accidents happen because people are impatient and self-focused. I'm certainly guilty of driving too fast and being in a hurry when just a few minutes wouldn't make a huge difference. It's funny how witnessing two laid-back geese almost get side-swiped was revolutionary for me.
