All Is Not Lost

My daughters are 26 and 29 years old. They are beautiful, bright, deep women. People love them. I love them. And they love and appreciate me as their mother, probably more than I deserve.

But they each have complaints about the way I raised them. This is normal, right? One complaint they are in agreement about is that I never taught them how to put on make-up. This was a hinderance to them in some way I don't fully understand, but I believe them. And it is true. I did not teach them how to put on make-up. Not because I was hiding the secrets of mascara, eye shadow and lipstick from them, but because I did not wear make-up myself. Okay, I'll just say it: I was a hippie-type mom. I gave birth to the girls at home, made their baby food from scratch and was a vegetarian. (Their father was patient and supportive about all this. Though a good father, he didn't teach them how to put on make-up either.)

Now fast forward 29 years. Both of my daughters are Mary Kay reps. What this means is that they are uniquely qualified to not only look astoundingly beautiful themselves (they are astoundingly beautiful without make-up, too), but also to teach other women how to be beautiful. They have taught ME how to put on make-up. I even have 3 different "looks" and I wear make-up now every day. The girls are, through the magic of Mary Kay cosmetics, even reducing the number of wrinkles I have on my face. I think they are going to help me soon to get rid of cellulite as well.

The moral of this story is that even if you fall short in some way as a parent (which you are bound to do if you're human), all is not lost. The children get what they need despite -- or because of -- your shortcomings. You give to your children by reaching out your hands to them and by not reaching out. God's plan carries through in any case.

I'm not saying that God specifically wanted my girls to work for Mary Kay, but who knows what His plan is? The point is, they got what they needed and wanted. And probably got it way more than they would have if I'd have tried to teach them make-up when they were little.

I'll end with a quote I like very much from Gourasana about raising kids:

The children can move very quickly. Teach them the truth. Show them the truth. Show them what is not the truth. Let them remain free. Do not make the mistake of so many parents who say, "You must do this." When you give an absolute, first examine it for yourself and see if it is in fact something they "must do." You will see that most of the rules and regulations are coming from an illusion.

Thank you for listening.