This is a picture of me in my "big girl"clothes. One of the reasons I started this blog is to write about aging. I was blessed to grow up in a family of women who demonstrated the power and beauty of a woman in her different stages of life. I wanted to show a picture of me in my "Sunday best." I look at this woman and recognize the child, girl, and young woman she was, but I also see a face and figure that no longer beguiles most people. However, one of the gifts of aging, if you take it, is the gift of freedom. I now embrace me and am amused at things that would have sent me to my bed in depression or to rage when I was younger.
I was sharing with younger friends at dinner, the freedom from others expectations or views of me. Clearly, the woman in this photo decided to wear jewelry that doesn't match and it's overdone (at least that's what I think some critics might say). For me, as a adorned myself, I thought I looked just right! The point is, one gift of my aging is to discover the Beloved in me. It doesn't inoculate me from pain but it takes the echo of the sting away. I've also begun to settle into myself and embrace my errors and shortcomings. I don't expect perfection from me or anyone I love or even like. In fact, embracing my "shortcomings" has freed me up to love myself and others more. We all need love.
Getting older also means I sometimes need help. It is the sweetest thing when one of by "babies" reaches back to help me out of the car. My weakness like my aging is a great blessing.
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