A Letter to You

A few years ago, I attended a youth ministry program at a church where I was handed a letter that began, "My Dear Child..." To be honest, I was very curious as to what the letter said and why I had it. As I began to read, I noticed that the letter was all written from verses from the Bible about love. The letter was actually very beautiful and well put together that I decided to slip it into my Bible so I wouldn't lose it.

A few weeks ago, I refound the letter that I had been given, and an idea occurred to me. Why not try putting together a letter of my own? So, over the past few weeks, I've been gathering a couple verses based on a central idea that has been sticking out to me lately and organized them into this short note. Now, please be aware, these are not my own words, but the words taken directly from the Bible. (Although some of the pronouns were changed to make the note make sense.)

So, take this note in whatever context your life gives you right now and read it with an open mind. Imagine that this letter appeared in your mailbox one day and was specifically addressed to you.

My Dear Child,

Do not let your hearts be troubled. (John 14:7) Peace be with you; my peace I give you. (John 14:27). Do not be afraid. (Luke 2:10) For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. I am faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation provide a way of escape that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)  Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them because I, the Lord your God, go with you; I will never leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6) I command you: be firm and steadfast for I will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9) So do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengten you and help you. (Isaiah 41:10) I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) You can do all things in Me who strengthens you. (Phillipians 4:13) I have said these things to you that you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) You will never be alone because I am with you. (John 16:32) Stand firm in the faith. Be a person of courage. Be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13) I love you. (John 15:9)

Your Faithful Father,
God

Unfailing Beauty

You are beautiful. Let me say it again, YOU are beautiful. And since they say that the time is a charm, hear it once more: you ARE beautiful. I know, it feels crazy, right? Well, I'll let you in on a little secret: it's true.

The fact is that many girls today struggle with their looks. According to a survey by Bliss magazine, nearly 90% of the participants surveyed said that they were dissatisfied with their looks. Looking in the mirror at yourself, it's really easy to see your flaws. Maybe it seems your hair is a little too frizzy, or you feel to ate too much ate dinner the other day. Maybe all that you see are the tired droops under your eyes or think your nose is too pointed. Maybe you're plagued with acne or see a million and one of those other imperfections in yourself. You look at yourself with a critical eye, zoning in on what you perceive as those flaws in yourself - flaws that others don't often see in you. And sometimes, the only thought you can think is, "I'm so ugly. How could anyone ever love me?"

So why do you do it? Maybe you've heard some comments about how maybe you should get some more exercise. Maybe someone's mentioned that you should cover up your blemishes with makeup - it'll look "better". Or maybe you've just been receiving those subtle messages that society sends us through pictures, TV, ads, billboards, movies and songs. How many of you have have gone to a grocery store and seen those magazine covers displaying the "perfect" model? You know, the pictures of models with the perfect hair, perfect eyes, perfect shape, perfect size, perfect everything. It feels hard to match that, like you'll never be "perfect" and "beautiful", but here's the thing: many of those models don't exist. Below is a video produced by Dove showing how a model is transformed from their everyday image to that "perfect" model that you see on a magazine or billboard. The difference is staggering. Compared to photoshopped images, you actually exist and are more beautiful and special than a phototshopped image can ever be.

When you see yourself in the mirror, you are not seeing what others see in you. While concentrating on your hair, you might not notice that bright smile you give that makes others feel happy themselves. While focusing on blemishes, you may not notice how your eyes sparkle a certain way when you laugh. You're only seeing part of the picture. Still, these outward things I'm mentioning are nothing compared to where your true beauty lies.

The true beauty that we have is not external; it's internal. It comes from our thoughts, our actions, our words, our intention and our love of God. It comes from our personalities and desires to do something wonderful in the world. Our true beauty comes from who we are, not what we look like. And who are we? We are children of God. We were made intentionally and specifically by God. He created us "in His image and likeness" (Genesis 1:27) and we are not mistakes. We "are precious in His sight" (Isaiah 43:4), and He loves us more than we can ever imagine. Song of Songs 4:7 states, "You are altogether beautiful, my love, and there are no flaws in you." Being the daughters and sons of the one true King, we are all beautiful.

I once told a dear friend of mine that our beauty is like a stained glass window, and I want to expand on that metaphor for you all. Imagine a stained glass window. It's made of broken fragments of colored glass - little parts that make up the whole. When it's dark, it's hard to tell what the stained glass is supposed to look like. That stained glass window without light is the way you see yourself in the mirror externally. Now, let's imagine that the sun is shining brightly through the window, casting its colorful light beans everywhere. It looks absolutely stunning, doesn't it? All of a sudden those little fragments of glass make sense together; they make a beautiful picture. The sunlight is like your inner true beauty - the things that make you you. The sunlight also represents God. The beauty of the stained glass window with light, my friends, is what you are when you let your light from the inside shine. The light shines through and is visible both internally and externally. That's what makes you beautiful.

So, yes, YOU are beautiful. You've always been and always will be. True beauty does not fade with time. The next time you think a harsh thought about your looks, I challenge you to stop for a minute and think. Think about what true beauty really is. Think about one thing that makes you truly beautiful. And then smile. Yes, smile and say to yourself that you are more than what you see in the mirror, more than that outward appearance. You are a child of God who reflects the light and beauty of God to the world. And by doing that, you are truly beautiful. 

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To go along with this, some songs came to mind that I'd like to post along with this. 

The first is called More Beautiful You by Jonny Diaz. It's a song about how the world makes it seem like we will never be pretty enough but that they are only "lies, disguises and hoops they make you jump through." It talks about you are "perfect just the way you are" and how "there can never be a more beautiful you." (And yes, this video takes scenes from the Chronicles of Narnia movies. I thought it turned out well for this song!)

The other song is called Made by Hawk Nelson. It's about how you're perfectly beautiful and made. It shows that God takes pride in you and how you "light up the Maker's eyes" and "put a smile on His face."

          

Happy Easter and God bless,

Emily Silverwing

Ballet and Fouttes

One of the things I enjoy doing and you'll probably be hearing a lot about is dancing - more specifically ballet and pointe. Basically, the difference between ballet and pointe is the type of shoe you wear. For ballet, dancers wear technique shoes which are soft canvas slippers that look like this.

For pointe, dancers wear hard shoes that are covered in pink satin. These shoes allow dancers to balance and dance on the tips of their toes. Here's part of my pointe shoe collection.

I know, there's a lot of them. The downside to pointe shoes is that they wear down quickly and become too soft to safely dance on your toes. I often have to replace my shoes every few months or so which is why there's so many. (So, if any of y'all of any suggestions of cool projects to do with pointe shoes, I'm all ears. Right now, they're just hanging useless in my closet.)

That's just a little background on ballet and pointe, but you'll be likely to hear more about them in the future. What I really want to talk about is this turn my ballet class is starting to work on in class. It's called a fouette (fweh-tay) turn. Fouette turns are really hard to explain in words, so I'll give you some videos to watch. This first one is a video my dance teacher recommended to us. First, watch it, then I'll talk.

Isn't that just AMAZING?! She's doing thirty two double fouette turns before the first round of applause, but because the audience continues clapping, she goes back onstage to repeat the sequence of turns! And she does it flawlessly without looking worn down! These turns are difficult to do! Here's another video of another ballerina doing fouettes.

I could watch these all day! Anyways, these are the turns that I'm trying to figure out in pointe and ballet right now. These ballerinas did 32, but at best, I can only do three without getting dizzy. And unlike Natalia (the first ballerina), my turns are only single. I've got a long, long ways to go, but this is my new ballet project for the time being.  Thoughts? 

Happy Easter!

~Emily Silverwing

Little Things

        Over the last year or two, I’ve been going over my local nursing home to assist with Bingo a couple nights a month. Sometimes, people will ask me why I like doing that month after month. Sometimes they ask if it’s weird to be around “old people”. There are many reasons that I do it with some being less explainable than other, but one of the main reasons I go is because of the lesson everyone teaches me while I’m there.

        Every night I go to help out, there’s always a crowd of the patients at the nursing home seated around tables. There’s a bunch of chatter and laughing as the other volunteers and I get the game set up. In some ways, it reminds me of a school lunch where friends are gathered together at tables. The people there always smile at me and say that it’s “nice to see you”. As the game gets rolling, I walk around carrying the prizes of one dollar bills in my hand and helping those with failing sight or hearing play the game. It’s always funny to hear everyone’s reaction to hearing the numbers called. There’s always a murmur about how they “just knew” they chose the wrong card or an excited gasp of delight when they realize they have that number. Sometimes when the caller yells out “B 8,” there’s talk about how it’s similar to the popular drink V8. “You should’ve had a V8,” they say, and someone always replies with, “I had one for breakfast!” It’s hilarious.

        Of course, I also love their reactions to when someone proudly calls out, “BINGO!” My main job volunteering is to check their cards and hand them the dollar prize if it’s right. I always walk over there with a smile as they show me exactly where the Bingo is and ask if I see it. I love seeing a good Bingo and handing the precious one dollar bill to the winner. In reality, it’s a dollar. You can’t buy much with it, but you’d think these people won the world seeing their reaction over the dollar. I’ve seen people kiss the dollar bill and exclaim excitedly, “Now I can buy a Christmas present for my granddaughter!” I’ve seen them ask, “Is this really for me?” Their reactions to such a simple gift is heart-warming.

        Another aspect I love about volunteering is the conversations I hear or participate in. Many of these people love to talk, and I’ve heard some great stories. I’ve also been asked many questions about me. The most memorable question I was asked before was, “Where do you live?” I proceeded to say the name of the town I live in, but I was asked again, “Butwhere do you live?” Puzzled, I told this person the street I live on. Still, this answer wasn’t satisfying enough. “I don’t know where that is!” the poor person exclaimed, “I haven’t heard of that place here before.” That’s when it hit me: the person was trying to ask me where I “lived” in the nursing home! Trying not to laugh, I explained that I didn’t live at the nursing home and that I only came here to help with Bingo. “Oh!” the person said, “You looked too young to live here and I was going to ask what happened to make you come.”

        Recently, I witnessed another heart-touching event: a birthday. When I came in one night, someone said that it was a woman’s birthday and that she was over one hundred. First of all, I had never met a person over a hundred, so I was excited, but what really impacted me was the birthday woman’s reaction. This woman did not realize that it was a birthday, nor did she realize her age. When she heard that it was her birthday, her hands flew to her face. “Oh!” she exclaimed, “It’s...it’s my birthday! I didn’t know. I didn’t know!” She was so shocked and surprised at the fact it was her birthday that it made me want to cry.

       So when people ask me why I go help at Bingo, I tell them that I go there because I enjoy it. I enjoy talking with these people who have lived so long and experienced so much in life. I enjoy getting to laugh with these people. They are not "boring" as I've heard some people say. Above all, I enjoy learning from these people. "Learning?" you ask. Yes, learning. When I go to Bingo, I see the joy that these people take in the little things in life. It often makes me think of the little things in life that I sometimes take for granted, and it teaches me to take more joy in the little things that come my way each day. That’s why I go help out at Bingo: it reminds me to find joy in the little things and to give thanks to God for all the blessings that He has given me.

Happy Easter!

~Emily Silverwing

The First Step

Here I am, writing the first post on my new blog. With a blank page in front of me, I can't help but think of all the possibilities of places I can take this. I have many ideas, yet I don't know where to begin!

So, what are you, my readers, supposed to expect to find here? The short answer is everything. I plan on writing about a wide variety of topics from book reviews to random thoughts, from devotionals to some of my own writing. You should expect to find something different each time I post, and I hope that you find something interesting, inspirational, funny or thought-provoking. If you have any thoughts or feedback as you read through my blog, feel free to comment. I would love to hear from you!

 Well, it's going to be a journey writing this blog, but it's going to be an exciting journey that I can't wait to begin. I'm glad to have you along for the journey, and you shall hear from me again soon!

Bon voyage!

                                                                                                                        ~Emily Silverwing