Character contributes to beauty. It fortifies a woman as her youth fades.
—Jacqueline Bisset
How common it is for us to be overly concerned with our looks. The culture encourages it through our families, our friends, and the media. Many of us anguished over our looks in years past, and the pain of fading youth haunts some even now.
Perhaps it's time for us to take special note of the women we admire for their achievements. We should emulate them, honor them, and celebrate their particular beauty - a beauty generally enhanced by dignity, perseverance, and courage.
We can cultivate our special interests. They'll contribute to our achievements, which will add depth to our soul - the home of true beauty. Mature persons who acknowledge this true beauty are those we wish to attract into our lives. How fickle is the beautiful face! And even more fickle is the one who can see no deeper.
Youth and its beauty are fleeting. Not so the beauty of the developing character; time strengthens it. The program makes character development not only possible but also simple. Every Step, any Step, offers us an opportunity to take charge of our lives, right now.
I will remember, it's who I am inside that truly counts in the lives of others.
From Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women by Karen Casey © 1982, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation.
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With any weight loss journey, we tend to focus on our outside appearance more-so than our inside condition. Naturally, we DO want to look better on the outside, but we must also work on our insides if we are to make some permanent, long-lasting changes.
Oftentimes, we lose X amount of weight and find ourselves STILL unhappy and/or unfulfilled. This is usually due to the fact that ALL of our problems did NOT stem from our body-size, but from our spiritual impoverishment. When we work on gaining spiritual growth, then we are better able to accept the changes in our body.
If we are just here to lose weight & look good, then it's likely to be a temporary change we achieve.
At 56 years old, I have lost much of my youthful beauty. It has been replaced with wrinkles and sagging skin, which is a sign of wisdom rather than ugliness! There is more beauty to be found in scar tissue, methinks, than in a perfect outside appearance.
For today, I acknowledge that beauty & youth are fleeting, but the development of my integrity and character are timeless.
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