In September, I was reminded what a positive impact women have on each other and on one particular day, as I was struggling to remember my own worth, I listened to a beautiful talk that emphasized womanhood. It's a great talk, that was actually addressed to the men in the church I belong to, called The Sanctity of Womanhood. I recommend this talk to both males and females as it gently reminds males how to treat women and the unique characteristics of womanhood.
One of the quotes I enjoyed that helped remind me of my worth was the following, "Woman is God's supreme creation. Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after that waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal life had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was women created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good." The talk went on to say, "Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so..."
The talk goes on a bit more to say, "Satan has unleashed a seductive campaign to undermine the sanctity of womanhood, to deceive the daughters of God and divert them from their divine destiny. He knows women are the compassionate, self-sacrificing, loving power that binds together the human family."
This next line is the part that hit home to me the most and maybe to many of you as well-"He would focus their interests solely on their physical attributes and rob them of their exalting roles.." Wow! Is this so true or what?! As a woman it's easy to get carried away or have my sole focus on my outward appearance. Although it is good to be fit and care for ourselves, when it detracts from remembering our self-worth or consumes us, it robs of our worth. God sees our value and any negative thoughts we have are from the adversary, so just dismiss them! As simple as that may sound, I've started doing that and it has helped immensely. So the next time you are getting ready and you think to yourself, "I wish I was thinner" or "my hair isn't pretty compared to so and so" just dismiss it! I promise if you start to train your mind to not dwell on those thoughts you'll realize how much Satan was working on you before to make you feel that you are of little worth. God would never want us to think constant, negative thoughts about ourselves. So sure, sometimes you'll have a bad hair day or gain some weight around the holidays, but don't let it get to you so bad where it consumes your happiness or robs you of your worth!
I'm about to get off my soapbox, but just bear with me and laugh and some of these images below. My thought is this, never underestimate the power of womanhood or your value as a woman! I read a study recently that said married men live longer than single men, yet women who marry have the same life expectancy as those who don't. However, women with strong female social ties live longer than those without them. How interesting to think that having girlfriends creates longevity in women? It doesn't surprise me though, as my best memories are with girlfriends, sisters, and mother.
I'm so grateful to have three especially important females in my life that bring me happiness, support, and love. My mother, and long time friend Sandi and new friend Kasie. These women bring me such happiness and love as they listen to me, support, and encourage me all the time! I came across this funny post on Facebook that showed why it's great to live with your best friend. Here were some of my favorites and maybe you'll laugh at them too, haha.
Isn't this the truth? So thankful for those times!
Does anyone remember this episode? I do and I'm rolling on
the floor laughing each time I see this one haha.
Kasie & I know this one all too well haha
Whether it's going to the bedroom next door and asking Sandi or snapchatting
Kasie, they will always tell me if it's a yes or a no outfit, haha
Oh these two are sooo true!
How great is it to have a girlfriend that genuinely loves you, cares about your day, wants to hear all the details of your life, and will honestly tell you if your outfit looks stupid?! It's priceless! During September I created a lot of fun memories with my two best girlfriends-Sandi and Kasie.
On Labor Day
Sandi and I went on a little hike at Bridal Veil falls, which is always
so gorgeous! Then we laid out by the pool, which was was the last day before it closed for the season :( Afterwards we decided to decorate for Halloween and got
some decorations from the store and from my storage unit. By the end of
the evening we had the most beautiful, somewhat gaudy, perfectly
feminine wreath. Tres chiche!
A few days later we went to a BYU football game together. Although it was chilly, we had a good time but both agreed that one football game sufficed our fill for the season, haha.
The next morning I ran the Color Me Rad 5k, my first 5k ever, with Kasie. Those who grew up with me might be surprised, considering I was a runner all through my teenage years, but a debilitating tailbone injury kept me from running for nearly three years. When I signed up for the race I wasn't certain if my tailbone would crack during the race or not, but considering the shape I've gotten into this year, I thought I'd give it a try.
I'm so glad I decided to run the Color Me Rad because it was a blast! The starting line had fun music playing, pre chalk throwing, and such a fun energy! I'm glad I ran it with Kasie, who is no stranger to 5k's, because I had way too many jitters and energy to pace myself. Once we started, Kasie kindly reminded me that I was going a little to fast to keep a steady pace, haha. Here are some pictures of us before the race:
If I had to describe the race in one word it would be liberating! Running a 5k was one of the things on my list that I wanted to do this year to regain my "identity" and once again do things I love. The ability to run again without my tailbone cracking was a sweet and tender mercy! I'm so thankful that my body has healed enough for me to run again because running and fitness have practically always been the center of my universe and one of my greatest sources of happiness. And let's be honest- the endorphins aren't bad either ;) haha.
Throughout the race they had checkpoints were color was thrown on us and it was so fun! Although it made it hard to breathe at times we soon learned to cover our mouths as we ran through the checkpoints. Kasie had some friends from work we spotted at the starting line so we ran with them off and on throughout the race. By the time we approached the finish line, I was sure we still had more to run and probably could've kept running because I was SO happy. As we reached the finish line I felt like a newly refreshed version of my old self. How liberating!! Here are pictures of Kasie and I after the race:
Dancing and throwing chalk by the stage post-race
.JPG)
I'm so glad Kasie and I got to run this together and for her encouragement and efforts to soothe my fears prior to the race. What a blast!
Here are some funny photos before sushi of yours truly, the "glam girls" haha:
After dinner that night we headed to Sundance to ride the chair lifts under the moonlight. It was my first time so I was really excited to see Sundance at night. We went with our good friend, Logan aka "Loges", from our ward and all snuggled up together to keep warm. It was soo pretty under the moonlight. Although we talked most of the time we had a few moments where we were quiet and a few minutes while we listened to some Ed Sheeran to go with the moonlight mood haha.
We also went country dancing together for the first time in nearly five years in September! Holy cow, it had been way too long. We always have such a blast dancing together and it brought back so many good memories.
Also that week, Sandi had a fashion show at her school in which she participated. I'm so glad she invited me and that I got to see her work. The makeup and hair was great, by far the best! Great work love!
Loges and I also checked out Chalk the Block in September while shopping together one Saturday evening. Local artists of sorts created a masterpiece within a parking stall at the Riverwoods shopping area and the public walked around and admired the work. Here were some of my favorites:
I hope you enjoyed a few excerpts from my life in September. I'm so grateful for the wonderful women in my life, those mentioned and those not mentioned. I'm so lucky to know so many great people. I hope you all had a great fall!
Love,
Calissa
