Humans are beautiful creatures

Born with this body type, height and bone structure. Photo by Brian 

Friends, it is time we talk about bodies. 

No, not that talk. 

Rather, we need to talk about how we judge each other based on our physical "packages."

Women, especially, are harmed by the ever-changing world of fashion and manufactured " beauty standards. 

For instance, I am tallish {5 feet 6 inches}, long-limbed and small-boned. My wrists and ankles are tiny. My legs are proportionately longer than my torso. 

While I definitely would not say I am a curvy woman, neither am I " built like a teenaged boy", as one woman casually and cruelly said to me when we were sitting around a campfire. My body is that of a woman-- regardless of my lack of curves. 

I am not a man, and a sure as hell am not built like a boy. 

My husband never complains about my figure, and my doctor says I am healthy { albeit a wee bit underweight, but that is for health concerns} 

This caustic remark by one woman hurt me deeply.  

I saw a Facebook post today that showed two cartoon women standing next to each other in bikinis. Thought bubbles above each head read " She's so beautiful". 

Friends, that is what we should say/think when we see someone.

She's so beautiful. 

He's so handsome. 

They are so attractive. 

Each of us is made in the imago Dei , or Image of God. 

God made each human like God made each plant or animal. 

During this Season of Creation, some of us prayerfully consider how we may better co-exist with all f Creation. Maybe now is a good time to also pause to see the diverse beauty that is evident of a creative, loving Creator in each human face and body we encounter. 

God made us, and we are lovely in God's Eyes. 

Look in the mirror, YOU, my friend, also are made in Imago Dei. 

Amen. 

Sarahbeth McCarren

 

Make a Difference: Mentor

                                     Bill and Marsha, two people who " Took Stock"in Sarahbeth. I cannot begin to list all the lessons they've taught me over my lifetime. 

I am blessed to be " retired. While we certainly have enough money, Brian and I cannot fund huge philanthropic projects. 

We do, however have time to spend. As a person of faith, AND a good citizen, I believe in serving others in however way I am called to serve. There are a lot of needs, and no one can do ALL the work that needs t be done for a more just and equal world. 

I had wanted to get involved with my local Big Brothers/ Big Sisters organization ere in Pensacola. Since I do not drive {NOT my choice}, I felt that it would not be fair to a " little" if I could not treat her to outings such as ball games, festivals, etc. 

I knew of a family whose student went to college on a Take Stock in Children scholarship over in the neighboring county, so last year I began investigating becoming a mentor with this organization. 

Here is the web site: 

https://www.takestockinchildren.org/

My student is an 8th grade girl. I cannot, for privacy's sake, share too much about her publicly, but suffice it to say that she is a delightful child whom I am enjoying getting to know. She and I are still in the " getting-to-know-each-other" phase of our mentorship, and we have much in common {her grades are way better than mine ever were-- especially in 8th grade!} She and I share some hobbies and interests, too. 

Throughout my life, I have been and still am blessed with people to whom I look up-- people I choose to have in my life. Bill and Marsha, pictured above, are two of the most consistent people who " took stock" in me but there are many others. I am grateful to have an opportunity to share some of the wisdom I've gleaned from almost 50 years of life.  

Mentoring is a natural fit for me since I thrive on one-on-one relationships and prefer a five-year commitment to one student rather than receiving a new young person to mentor every August. 

My neurodivergent brain thrives on consistency, so long-term commitments are not a problem for me. 

I've also discovered that my personality suits mentoring an older student rather than helping a pre-kindergarten student with her reading. Of course, that was fun and extremely worthwhile, but just not a good fit for my personality and skill set. 

Time is a treasure that each of us has and spending it wisely to help others is such a blessing-- and our calling as people of faith. 

Amen..

Sarahbeth McCarren 
 

Book Review: The Forgotten Girls A memoir of Friendship & lost Promise in Rural America

                                            Mountain Deer in western NC

I am reading a fascinating book called The Forgotten Girls: A Memoir of Friendship & Lost Promise in Rural America .  The author, Monica Potts, goes back to her small, mostly White, rural community in the Ozarks to try to understand why so many girls in these communities across this nation. 

Both Monica and her best friend, Darci, are promising young teens in Clinton, Arkansas. 

Monica ears a scholarship to an out-of-state school. Darci chooses to party and chase boys in high school and gets stuck in their rural hometown. 

This is a story that I saw get played out many times while growing up in rural northern Appalachia. I am only halfway through the book because it is so damn sad. 

The book talks about how poor, rural girls and not as encouraged to earn good grades and attain a college degree.

Both Monica and Darci came from poor families. My family was solidly middle-class, but I grew up around such rural poverty as theirs. 

Did I experience rural poverty firsthand? Thankfully the answer to that is NO. 

However, I DID see the sort of poverty that the author discusses in this book. Let me tell you about my lab partner: I'll call her Patty. 

Patty and I met in high school. We took many of the same classes but ran in completely different social circles. We spent a year dissecting various preserved critters in Anatomy and Physiology during our senior year, but never became friends. 

Her friends considered me " uppity". 

My social group was baffled that I'd even want to be friends with someone like Patty. 

I do not know what became of my bright lab partner. I do remember her telling me that she'd be the first in her family to attend a four-year college and that she wanted to study nursing. 

I hope she got out and stayed away. 

The book talks about how poor, rural girls and not as encouraged to earn good grades and attain a college degree. 

I got out, and I am forever grateful that my neurodivergent, creative hippie chick self had the opportunity to follow my parents to Northwest Florida. 

Please understand that I love the folks with whom I'd grown up. Most of them are hard-working, good people. Yet to be honest, I never " fit in" there. 

I was a shy and awkward teen. No one would have considered me " boy crazy", and I surely was NOT popular. I honestly did not care about dating and the last thing I thought about when I was in high school was settling down into marriage and motherhood at an early age. 

Although I could have been a better student, I knew my intelligence would be my ticket away from that community that always felt foreign to me-- even though that was where I'd lived for my first twenty-two years of life. 

I lived there, but it always felt like I did not belong-- and could not wait to get the hell out. 

Rural America is great for some people, but not for me. 

Sarahbeth McCarren