Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Mother (as in maternal parent) (04/24/08)
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TITLE: My mother's secret is in a jar | Previous Challenge Entry
By Paula Suhey
04/29/08 -
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ADD TO MY FAVORITES
I knew I was not supposed to be there, but I went in anyway and much to her surprise and my chagrin, she caught me. I was not a child. I should have known better. My hand was in the jar. Not the cookie jar, you understand. But the jar that holds my mother’s secret.
We had a deal. My parents have lived with me for several years. From the day we made the decision that it was time for them to share my home, we had agreed that our respective bathrooms would be off limits to each other.
However, one night just before my mother was going off to bed, I realized how much I loved the way her face smelled and the way it glowed. She may be 85 years old, but she still has really nice skin.
Why in this world I did not mention this, I have no idea. I do know that one day when my parents were away, I decided to go into their bathroom and check out her face cream.
I found it. I used it. I liked it!
Later when I made a remark about their bathroom, my mother was quick to ask how I knew that and I had to confess.
I told her that I had determined that I wanted to have skin like hers so I had gone looking for her secret.
The next morning there was a jar of the face cream on the counter in my bathroom. There was a note. It had a brief message, “start now”.
That reminded me of something my grandmother had said to her many years ago.
Mother had met a woman in her early 70’s with beautiful hair, skin and a wonderful spirit. She was anxious to tell my grandmother about this woman and noted that she hoped she would age as gracefully and be that lovely when she reached the golden years. Grandma’s advice was simple.
“Sister, if you want to be like that woman, you have to start now.”
That meant not just taking care of her skin and hair, but her spirit as well. My mother should continue in the practices she had already begun. Things like wash her face every night and put some moisturizing cream on it before she retired, yes, but also drink lots of water, get the proper rest, eat what was good for her and put her faith and trust in the Lord. In other words, practice Proverbs 3:5, 6. And from a personal note, I can tell you – it worked!
I suspect that when younger women meet my mother they might hope they would look like her someday. If they are smart enough to ask for her secret, they will hear the same words that her mother gave her – start now.
People often say that I look like my mother. That’s in the genes. People sometimes say that I act like my mother. That requires practicing what she’s told me all my life (just like her mother taught her). I keep my faith and trust in the Lord, I drink water, eat what’s good for me and from now on – I’m using the same face cream!
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