Beautiful Women

One of the many reasons that I love HSJH is that friendship braceleting has become a normal part of the culture. 7th and 8th grade girls walk around with bracelets-in-progress taped to assignment notebooks, binders and rolls of tape. During CNN student news, when their work is finished, or while they're listening to their teacher they knot away on diamonds and earthquakes. Meric and Maddie are two great examples of Friendship Bracelet Cult girls that bracelet everywhere they go. It's a life style. 

Sadly, the Craig family had to part ways with their infamous mini van this weekend. But now KCraig is rolling around town in her CR-V. Yep, we are now both driving CR-Vs. We just kind of like the same things most of the time. Over Diet Coke and Wendy's chili we talked about life tonight and got caught up before she headed to hear Kevin Breel speak at Fisher's HS with our YL fam.

I had a text asking me to come to dinner with Jackie, Lauren and a bunch of freshmen girls so I popped over to McAllister's to see all of them. Madison, Kendal, Sarah, Chloe, Angela, Lucy and Liz were all there around the table. These sweet girls are such rock stars and I love seeing them do life together with some of their leaders. Young Life doesn't just happen at Young Life events, it's happening all over town whenever we gather together.

The Senior and Sophomore girls that I meet with each week heard Kevin speak last year and weren't going to go to the event tonight. Instead of missing a Monday night together I had them over for a Campaigner's of our own. Cass showed up with Starbucks for Hannah and I-- isn't she so thoughtful? Being able to have Young Life girls come over is one of my favorite things about living in Fishers.

These girls are silly and goofy and their lives are so much more complex than most people realize. I'm thankful for nights like this when we get to hang out and be real with each other. Most of them would agree that the week we spend together at YL Camp each summer is their favorite of the whole year. Nights like this are a little taste of that.

We read a Momastery post together titled, Don't Be Pretty-- Be Beautiful that I love. It's the story of when Glennon explained to her daughter Tish why it's so much more valuable to be beautiful rather than being pretty. Beautiful means "full of beauty." Beautiful is not about the appearance of your outsides--beautiful is what you're made of. Beautiful women are women who spend time discovering what they love--what sings to them--what their idea of beauty on this Earth is. Then they make time each day to fill themselves up with that beauty.  Don't you just love that?

We each shared some of the things that fill us up with beauty... spending time with friends, singing at church, being with our family, giving away friendship bracelets, Young Life, laughing.

Glennon writes, Beautiful women glow. When you are with a beautiful woman you will not so much notice  her hair or skin or body or clothes--because you'll be distracted by the way she makes you feel. She will be so full of beauty that you will feel some spill onto you. You'll feel warm and safe and curious around her. You will notice the most beautiful women take their time with other people. They are just filling up. Do you know women like this?

This makes me think of my mom Bethie and my sister Katie. I think of Annie Houghton, Linda Nikcevich, Sarah Battaglia, Sarah Mooney, Janelle Dewolf, Katrina Elliot, Kathy Craig. These are beautiful women. Their lives are an example of the kind of person I want to be.

Do you know what  they all have in common? In all of these women, their faith is their foundation and their identity. They know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made. They're confident that God looks not at their outward appearance but at their heart. They think on true, excellent, just, pure, lovely things and it shines out of them. They are beautiful.

Do you know who else is beautiful? All of these sweet girls. Hannah, Genna, Anne, Olivia, Kaelyn, Chloe, Julia and Cassidy are some of the most beautiful girls that I know. I hope that I can pass along some beauty to them because spending time with them always fills me up with more beauty.