"THE WAY WE WERE"...MEMORIES

Memories...like the corners of my mind. Misty, water-colored memories...of the way we were.
Wave upon wave of memories came washing over me last night as we attended my 34 year high school reunion. Bittersweet. When I look in the mirror, I see myself as I was 34 years ago, or so. A few wrinkles here and there, but basically the same young face looking back at me. Not so. In reality, I have a 52 year old face, a 52 year old body , and a 52 year old mind! All going in the same general direction...south. It hit me square in the face last night when I saw my peers looking just about like me. Oh, the women looked pretty good. But ladies can use all kinds of deception to get you to look at anything BUT their wrinkles and sagging boobs. We've got hair color, highlights, curling irons, crimping irons, flat irons. We've got Maybelline, L'Oreal, Lancome, Wet and Wild, Clinique. We've got Allure, Chanel, Opium, Poison, Dior, Romance. We shop at Field's, Target, Nordstroms, and yes, even thrift shops . We wear wonder bras, minimizer bras, girdles, control top panty hose...anything to keep what we have from shifting out of place, drooping, sagging, or bulging. We wear diamonds, CZ's, rubies, emeralds, fake stuff, real stuff, vintage stuff, hand-made stuff. For what? So no one can see what's behind the mask. So you'll look at anything but how old we REALLY look. The men, on the other hand, have very few resources. How many men do you know who color and highlight their hair? Or wear fancy/schmancy jewelry? Or the latest designer duds. Or the newest fragrance. Or, for that matter, even shop for themselves??? And it shows. The guys looked 20 years older than their wives. Chunky, balding, and dressed, for the most part, as if they were going out to a ballgame with their buddies. But all of that is OK with me. And it's even more than OK with God. "For God sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 Thank God He sees right thru all the make-up, designer clothes, the fog of perfume, and the curled and tinted hair. He sees the real me. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Love,
Cyn