This is me... warts and all.

Yes... this is me. Just read further before you make any judgments, okay?

You know... after that "warning, yucky stuff" blog yesterday, I just can't get the thought out of my mind. Oh, not just the bleaching stuff, but the whole Botox in the face to make us look relaxed and softer.. Botox in the feet so that we can wear stilettos.. boob jobs.. tummy tucks.. plastic surgery to erase the 100% natural signs of aging.

What's wrong with simply looking like God made us? I don't know your thoughts on the subject, but my God doesn't make mistakes.

He designed us to be individuals. Some of us are fair, some are darker, some are freckled and some have the skin of an English rose. Dark hair, light hair, silky hair, coarse hair.. Short, tall and everything in between. We're all different and we're all unique.

We're all perfect in God's eyes.

Maybe I'm just speaking for myself here, but I'm happy with who I am and what I look like. Oh, to be honest, I do sometimes look in the mirror and wish that I didn't have those laugh lines - but I don't regret the laughter that got me to this point. The little "comma" lines around my mouth ?Well, they signify the tears I've cried and the sadness that I've gone through. My boobs aren't what they were 30 years ago, but why would I want them to look like a 25 year olds again? I nursed 3 babies and I wouldn't change the change in texture and firmness for anything in the world. My children did this to me, and I'm honored that my boobs had the chance to serve such an important purpose. A purpose that they were designed for. Not that you want to hear about my breasts, but you know what I mean, don't you?

We've all earned these little "badges of courage" whether they're lines or wrinkles, sagging bits or discolorations. They are a direct result of the lives we've led and I'm honored to have them. I may not look like I did when I was in my 20's, but you know what? I like who I am and I like the person that I've turned into. The rest - the outside part - is just superficial.

The most beautiful woman I've ever known, was my Nana. She had skin like crepe paper and it felt like velvet, and I loved to pinch the backs of her hands and see the road maps I could make in the wrinkles there. I loved to snuggle into her and feel her bosoms resting lightly on me. She was soft. She was gentle. And she was utterly beautiful in my eyes. Just as she was.

We age. It's a natural part of life. I look on "Classmates. com" occasionally, and I'm always shocked at some of the women I went to school with - 53 to 55 year old women - who look almost exactly the same as they did 30+ years ago. And when I see them, my first reaction isn't "Wow... Alice sure hasn't aged at all" - it's more like "Wow... she must have married well to afford all that work". Who are they fooling? Who are we fooling? Why are we even attempting to fool anyone? It's kind of sad when you think about it, because ultimately, we choose our friends... our REAL friends, for who they are rather than what they look like. At least I do.

God must look down on us and just shake his head sometimes.