There are no ugly women!

This photo was taken at a competition in June 2006. The competition was between 9 women for best makeover. They had every possible beauty treatment available to them over a period of 12 hours before the contest.Conclusion - there are no ugly women * (see below), only poor women.... If you had the money....Good Grief!!! The woman 2nd from the left won the contest.


click on the picture to enlarge.

***** Added later

I am like most of you and go for the natural look myself....but the reason I liked this so much is because you can see that ordinary people can look like movie stars after all the make up and air brushing..... Remember not all what we "see" is real and we must not let ourselves be influenced by these images. Our self esteem and worth are based on other things......

Growth

Learn from Nature. Patience and perseverance brings its own rewards

I believe

I have a new bloggy friend Debbie where I found this lovely prose and just had to share it with you. She says she found it on the web!



I believe - A Birth Certificate shows that we were born; a death certificate shows that we died; pictures show that we lived!
I believe - That just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.
I believe - That we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I believe - That no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe - That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
I believe - That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
I believe - That it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I believe - That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I believe - That you can keep going long after you think you can’t.
I believe - That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I believe - That either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I believe - That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I believe - That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I believe - That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.
I believe - That sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I believe - That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.
I believe - That it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I believe - That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn’t stop for your grief.
I believe - That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I believe - Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different
I believe - That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.

I believe - That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
I believe - That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I believe - That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
I believe - The happiest people don’t have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

“The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.”

How Can I Keep From Singing?

This song has been a real blessing and I wanted to share it.... A dear friend has just introduced me to Chris Tomlin!!!

Another update on Karen´s mum

Just a quick note to those who haven’t heard yet that Mum is back in hospital. The GP thought it would be good to rule out the possibility of a blood clot on the lungs and sent us to A&E yesterday. They decided to keep her in as she has a lot of liquid in her lungs, low oxygen levels in the blood, and is very tired and short of breath. The emergency doctor said the worst thing at the moment is her heart.

She has been put on the Medical Oncology ward and will have another CAT scan on Monday and a test to see whether she has a blood clot on the lung, although they don’t think this is likely.

My sister Suzanne arrives here tomorrow evening with some documents from Mum’s chest specialist in the UK. Marilynn is due to arrive next Friday, but is wondering whether to change her flight and come earlier. It is difficult to know really.

Love Karen


THanks for your continued prayers and support.

Update on Karen´s Mum

Here´s an update from Karen´s Mum:


My Mum came home form hospital on Friday evening. She has had a bad cough over the last week and the Dr said she would be better off at home as she could catch a bad infection at the hospital. This afternoon she was breathing much better.

It has been very tiring looking after her so far, and initially I really felt I couldn’t cope. It isn’t just the practical side but also the emotional as she keeps saying how bad she feels, which then makes me wonder whether it is the cancer. On the last day in hospital I saw the oncologist, who was not very encouraging. She has looked at Mum’s CAT scan and informed me that there is fluid accumulation and swelling of the lymph glands in the right lung and fluid in the pericardial sac (around the heart). The oncologist’s initial diagnosis is that it looks malignant and Mum’s current state of health would rule out chemotherapy. However, in order to correctly assess the situation, the oncologist needs a complete case history with copies of the scans and x-rays. Specifically she needs to know what type of lung cancer was initially diagnosed and why chemotherapy was ruled out. I have to try and get all this information from the UK.

The oncologist did say she thought it would be better for Mum’s own specialist to see her, but given the other circumstances I don’t know that this will be possible – i.e. that she needs to do physiotherapy to regain mobility after the hip replacement op and that in the UK she was living on her own, which at the moment would be impossible. Also, she is still on oxygen so I would imagine that would make travelling difficult even if her general health would enable her to travel.

She has been through a lot these last five weeks and the Lord has been gracious and has spared her life. My prayer is that His purposes would be fulfilled in her life and that she would be truly aware of His presence.

Thanks again for your continued prayers, Karen.


Thanks guys for keeping Karen in prayer... she has greatly appreciate your support and comments....

The Love of Friendship

I just visited my friend at her blog and came across this wonderful post and just had to share it with you!

The Love of Friendship

One day a woman's husband died, and on that clear, cold morning, in the warmth of their bedroom, the wife was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't anymore. No more hugs, no more special moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat, no more "just one minute." Sometimes, what we care about the most gets all used up and goes away, never to return before we can say good-bye, say "I love you."

So while we have it, it's best we love it and care for it and fix it when it's broken ... ... and heal it when it's sick. This is true for marriage .. and old cars ... and children with bad report cards and dogs with bad hips and aging parents and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.Some things we keep -- like a best friend who moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make us happy, no matter what.

Life is important, like people we know who are special. and so, we keep them close!I received this from someone who thought I was a 'keeper'! Now I'm sharing it with the people I think of in the same way.

Suppose one morning you never wake up, do all your friends know you love them?I was thinking...I could die today, tomorrow or next week, and I wondered if I had any wounds needing to be healed, friendships that needed rekindling or three words needing to be said.Let every one of your friends know you love them.

Even if you think they don't love you back, you would be amazed at what those three little words and a smile can do.And just in case GOD calls me home .... I LOVE YA!!! I'm sssoooo glad you're my FRIEND!Live today to the fullest because tomorrow is not promised.

A lesson for living

I found an old pile of Reader´s Digests from the year of the Ark´s landing and found this article which I felt to be very fitting for me at this time and thought it might be an encouragement to you. ...... enjoy!!


Condensed from PLUS: The magazine of Positive Thinking by Ronald Reagan
(Found in Readers Digest Magazine May edition 1990)

"Everything happens for the best," my mother said whenever I faced disappointment.

"If you carry on, one day something good will happen. And you´ll realize that it wouldn´t have happened if not for that previous disappointment."

Mother was right, as I discovered after graduation from college in 1932. I had decided to try for a job in radio, then work my way up to sports announcer. I hitchhiked to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station and got turned down every time.

In one studio, a kind lady told me that big stations couldn´t risk hiring an inexperienced person. "Go out in the sticks and find a small station that´ll give you a chance."

I thumbed home to Dixon, Ill. While there were no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon, my father said that in a sports department they were looking for a local athelte to manage it. Since Dixon was where I had played high-school football, I applied. The job sounded just right for me. But I wasn´t hired.

My disappointement must have shown. "Everything happens for the best," Mom reminded me. Dad offered me the car to drive 70 miles to the Tri-Cities. I tried WOC RAdio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, a wonderful Scotsman , told me they had already hired an announcer.

As I left his office, my frustration boiled over. I asked aloud, "How can a fellow get to be a sports announcer if he can´t get a job in a radio station?"

I was waiting for the elevator when I heard the director calling, "What was that you said about sports? Do you know anything about football?" Then he stood me before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary game.

The preceding autumn, my team had won a game in the last 20 seconds with a 65 yard run. I did a 15 min buildup to that play, and the director told me I would be broadcasting Saturday´s game!!!!

On my way home, as I thought of my mother´s words: "If you carry on, one day something good will happen - something that wouldn´t have happened if not for that previous disappointment."

Feb 1 blessed us with a new niece!

I have been made an Aunty once again! A new daughter for my dh´s bro was born on Feb 1st... and here are the fotos!

Update on Karen´s Mum

I wanted to thank you on behalf of dear Karen, for your prayers and comforting words during this difficult process she is going through with her mum. (see my previous post) She wrote an email yesterday and I thought it would be good to share it with you and solicit your prayers again...thanks!

........" Today the doctor attempted to extract liquid from Mum’s lung to be able to analyse it and diagnose what the swelling in the lungs is. Unfortunately, she was unable to extract any liquid at all and is reluctant to try with a thicker needle. She has requested another chest x-ray to check on the amount of liquid in the lung. There is a danger of an infection returning if the liquid remains there for too long.

They are now hoping to discharge her this week, but she will need to be on oxygen at home and will continue to use the inhalers. Today we encouraged her to walk a bit further (she can’t go too far as she is attached to the oxygen on the wall) and she ventured out into the corridor, turned around and walked back to the chair. She did this twice.

She has now had the catheter removed so we are attempting to retrain her bladder and bowels – she was not incontinent during the day before hospitalisation and only of urine during the night. The staff don’t seem too confident that this is possible as she has been in diapers for five weeks now. This makes it difficult as we are constantly struggling with them to at least try. It would obviously be much better if we could get her retrained in this area before coming home.

Once discharged, Mum will come to my house and a physiotherapist will visit her for rehab. I will have to try and get a GP assigned to her at the local health centre to follow up her progress.

There is also the question of the possibility of the lung cancer having returned. At the moment, Mum is not in any condition to return to the UK and see her specialist there and the waiting list in Madrid for a specialist is very long. I am going to try and get the hospital to assign her a specialist before we leave, although I don’t know whether this is possible. It also means putting Mum in the picture about the cancer possibility whereas at the moment we haven’t told her but are concentrating on getting her mobile enough to come home.

So it is still very much up and down. I don’t know how I am going to cope once she is home, even with the help of a dear friend who has offered to come every morning to help get her up, washed and dressed. It will obviously mean a tremendous change in our lifestyle and for an indetermined period. We can only trust the Lord in all of this and look for His provision. We are all very tired but appreciate all the practical help we are getting from friends and family.

With love,

Karen "

Retreating with DH

For just over a week now, my DH has been off work, which has been a real blessing.

Uually we take this "extra" days to go away for a few days, but this time it hasn´t been financially possible, so we have been enjoying the open fire in our chimney and taking a few trips here and there but making sure that we are back when the kids got out of school.


These are the moments when we really catch up with each other and enjoy some long talks and praying together. We took advantage to update our worship songs repetoire both in German (we have been invited to lead worsip at a marriage retreat in Germany at the end of this month) and in Spanish which has been a project left pending for way too long.

It does require time to sit down and embrace the new songs and learn them, but it has been a really blessing to allow God to minister to both of us... especially me. There are some new songs that I could really identify with and seem to be "annointed" for the moment.

Looking at the German songs has been a challenge as we have not led worship in German for over 15 years!!! You can say that fast, but boy it´s a long time and it's easy to feel a little overwhelmed and insecure getting back into it.

We made a head start but we still need some more time to really feel free and flow in these things.. God is gracious and treats us so tenderly.

God´s tenderness amazes me every time....catches me by surprize and humbles me. When you feel most vulnerable God meets you with His tenderness and not judgement, with grace and not critisism, and with love and not rejection. It´s the father meeting the prodigal son as he sees him "far off" and runs to meet him. Isn´t that so beautiful?


I am so glad he weighs the motives of the heart. He sees my feeble attempts to reach out for Him and stretch out for new things He meets me right there. He doesn't expect perfection before allowing me be used.... I feel that I am bathing in this truth more than ever before.


I am enjoying the fact that, as I mention in a previous post, I don't have the energy at present to worry about what people think or trying to impress anyone.... a weakness I will probably struggle with all of my life until I am completly free in heaven!!!!

I have been so tired from events that happen before Christmas, that it has left me without fight in me to prove myself if you know what I mean... which naturally is very good.

It´s what Paul talks about when he says... "...may He increase and I decrease" .... May God be more evident and real that any of my talents and abilities... which He gave me in the first place!!!!

A few days ago "Word for the day from UCB" they have been talking about gifts and character. Here is an excert taken from the daily devotion for Feb 1st:

Scriptural keys to success in life (1)
01 Feb 2008

" 'A man's gift makes room for him.' PROVERBS 18:16
Your giftedness will get you noticed, separate you from the rest of the pack

and give you a head start on others...................

"Mega-best-selling author Stephen King asserts that,

'Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented

individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.' Much of

that work takes place in your character and your private world.

Haven't you known people who should have risen to the top but didn't?

They had all the talent they'd ever need, but they didn't succeed.

Their talent made them stand out but their lack of integrity made them sit down.

Their friends, families, coaches and bosses saw their giftedness

but wondered why they kept falling short of expectations.

Their talent opened the door but their wrong choices shut it. " "

God is more interested in my character than in my gifts and talents... I want my charcter to be able to hold up my talents and this requires hard work, much purifying and heaps full of humility and recognizaton that:
without Him I can do nothing that is of value but WITH Him I can do all things! Only in God can I and do I become all He has dreamt me to be!

..have a banana!!!!

You Are a Banana

You are mellow, easy going, and a total softie on the inside.People find it really easy to get along with you. You suit most tastes. And while you're very sweet, you're not boring or ordinary.You have an attraction to the exotic, and you could show up anywhere... doing almost anything! You are spirited, energetic, and a total kick to be around.You're also quite funny. Your sense of humor is on the goofy side, and it fits you well.

http://www.blogthings.com/whattypeoffruitareyouquiz/%22%3EWhat Type of Fruit Are You?