Take Care of Your SELF

Darling Girl:

Mommy wants the best for you. You know that, right?

In my observations this evening on social media, I found myself "mentally filing" notes for you. I just want to give you a heads up about the following:

1. Use sunscreen and take care of your skin. The sun damages your skin. You can't tell it so much when you're young; but you will be able to tell. Also, it seems to me that as time goes on--perhaps an ozone depletion issue?--the sun's rays seem to be getting more and more dangerous. Use caution, dear Psalm. You only get one skin.
2. Avoid tanning too much. It WILL age your skin. I have been guilty of tanning, especially in my youth. But you want to be careful because it can really do some damage! And you don't want to be addicted to it and/or be orange because of it. There are some women who can't tan and they look 20-30 years older than they are by the time they hit 35 or 40. And beyond that, it appears they have a "hide" for skin.
3. Think long and hard before you even think long and hard about getting a tattoo. You have to live with that the rest of your life. Honestly, just promise me there will be a "waiting period" before getting a tattoo. They look appealing sometimes, but I promise you, you will regret a "trendy" tattoo received in haste. (And I know this may sound hokey, but promise me that you will PRAY before you get a tattoo, okay? Really seek God about it? Make sure that you feel like you have "clearance" from Him.)
4. If you live a hard life, it will age you. Beware of people singing the joys of the "carefree life"--it can get you in a heap of trouble. People think it's not a big deal to sleep around, for instance, but it really changes you somehow, wears you, ages you. Plus, it can be a health hazard. Beware, darling, girl, of anyone who tries to tell you that a life of "sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll" is anything but de-railing. They pay a high price for their "freedoms."
5. If you drink too much, it will be readily apparent to everyone by the time you're 35. It ages you. (Look around at people who drink too much, party too much. It's sad. And the older you get, the sadder it gets.)
6. Be sure to marry the person GOD has for you. And fight for that marriage for as long as you both shall live. God intends for us to grow old with our mate. There are reasons. Pray, pray, pray...and remember, your marriage is a BLESSING from God. It affects you, your children, the generations.
7. Do everything you can to keep your heart right before God. Pray, Talk to God, Stay in His Word. If you take care to take care of your relationship with God, you will find the kind of happiness that is evidenced by your facial expression. Seriously, sis. When I look around now, and I'm in my 40's, and see those who have done all they can to follow God? You can TELL. They look younger, fresher, more AWAKE somehow. You will see this, too! God really takes care of us! If we live our lives before Him, honoring Him with our bodies and behaviours, we reap the benefits!
8. Do your best to develop a discipline of exercise. Develop a habit so you can rely on your discipline when your energies start lagging later in life. Develop good habits now that will sustain you in future years. You will need to be physically fit.
9. Eat right. Try your hardest to eat good, healthy foods. It will make a difference in your body!
10. Guard your friendships. Friends are hard to come by. When you find a TRUE FRIEND, do as Shakespeare wrote and "grapple him/her to your soul with hoops of steel." You cannot BUY a good friend. Treat them well. You will need them!

Sis, I wish I could sit down and write and write and write about every little thing I think you might need to know in future years. Things I will tell you if God allows me to be with you as you grow into adulthood. But I want you to know this above all else: THE MORE YOU FOLLOW GOD, THE MORE BLESSED YOUR LIFE WILL BE.

Time flies by, sis. I look at you these days--you're 4 1/2 already--and I think about how little time I have with you...Cherish every moment you can, sissy. In just a day or two, you'll be with your own little one/s, thinking about how quickly time goes by...

GOD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN OUR LIVES, SIS. That's why we must give our lives to Jesus Christ as soon as possible. TRUST ME, SIS. He has your best interests at heart. He loves you, He loves you, He loves you!!! He is the reason we have HOPE!!! He is the reason we will all enjoy eternity together!!!

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!

Take care of Your Self, Sissy,
Love, Mommy

Watching *Steel Magnolias* As Your Mommy

In 1999, I had the opportunity to play Annelle in the CASC production of *Steel Magnolias." The experience was enriched because I got to perform with my best girlfriends at work--Paula Reif, Dana Dinsmore Davis, Wanda Harris, Shara Olive, and Joyce Woodruff. Bill Day directed it.

Tonight, 14 years later, I found myself sitting in the audience, taking it all in as a spectator. Shara Olive was in the show again, this time playing Shelby's mother, M'Lynn. Bill Day directed the show.

It was bittersweet watching the show again. Part of me was transfixed on the production in front of my eyes. Part of me was transported to that same stage 14 years earlier. And part of me wished I could have been up there on stage with them.

I used to love being in stage productions. I miss it greatly sometimes.

Will you be as drawn to the stage as I have been in my lifetime? Will I get the opportunity to watch you one day on stage? I wonder at you, wonder if you will find joy and interest in this richly enhancing part of me and my life.

Tonight, though, as I watched the show, I couldn't help but think about how much has changed in the years since I had been in the show. For one, I have YOU now. And watching a show like *Steel Magnolias* is poignant enough when you have a loved one with diabetes (my sister, your Aunt Heather), but there's something even more touching about it now that I have a child--now that I have you.

M'Lynn's love for Shelby? Yeah. That's how it is. That's how I feel about you.

I hope one day maybe you and I can go see the show together, or maybe I will get the opportunity to watch YOU perform in the show. Or, who knows? Maybe God will allow us to play in the show together one day! I'd really love that, you know.

It would be a supreme joy for me to perform with you on stage one day.

But if something happens, and we can't do that, then know that I am with you in spirit. Always.

I love you fiercely, darling girl. Fiercely.