Gwyneth Paltrow graces the cover of this week’s People magazine
devoted to the “Most Beautiful Women.”
I don’t know Gwyneth but frankly, she gets on my nerves.
I’m sure she’s a wonderful person but if she’s in a movie, it has to have a really engaging plot for me to choose to watch it.
Beauty is a funny thing and there are a lot of factors that contribute to making a woman beautiful.
My life if full of beautiful women and so, I thought I’d devote this post to just a few:
My mom, Sylvia Stanley is beautiful. She is, as she says, “a strong, Yankee woman” and she loves the Lord with a fiery passion. She’s taught me that beauty is enduring. Her beauty comes from her wit, her mastery of the art of sarcasm, and her powerful love. Everything I know and am came from her home tutoring. She’s my beautiful hero.
My Aunt Mary Moore is beautiful. She has boldness and the courage to be a true Southern character. I remember she told me the secret to new situations is to walk into any room and imagine that I am the host of that party. That lesson has served me well through the years. Her beauty comes from a fearless embrace of her own personality and the boldness to speak what’s on her mind. (can you tell they’re sisters?)
My daughter, Hannah Sojourner Grace, is beautiful in every way imaginable. Her beauty is evident on the surface but it runs deep and stems from a heart sold out for God – she’s a Jesus freak. Her beauty comes from a dedication to hard work and excellence combined with an inner grace, as if her inner framework was made, not of skeletal bone, but of tenacious, flexible Spirit-infused cord that enables her to bend to serve others while retaining her unique sense of who God made her. (Oh, and she’s an apprentice in the art of sarcasm and coming along quite beautifully.)
My sister-in-law, Luciella Roeleveld is a fierce beauty. She embodies the earthiness and nurturing power of the planet bringing laughter, hospitality, and a sense of adventure to every exchange. My brother’s wife, Cathy Stanley, is a gentle beauty. Her beauty comes from patience and a quiet, burning devotion to my brother and her children.
My best friend is a beauty. Kathy Rexrode is smart, devoted to excellence, and has a heart for God that seeks always to go deeper. She will never settle for yesterday’s discipleship but is already pressing on. She’ll be serving Christ with her last breath.
So will another of my best friends, Judie Lospaluto. Her beauty comes from quiet grace and the kind of creativity given to unique women who work with small children and give them their start in life.
My sister-in-love, Becky Gansky, is beautiful in worship. When the music plays and Becky sets her eyes on the Lord, she doesn’t just experience transformation herself into a vision of heaven, she facilitates the transformation of fellow worshipers. As she signs, it’s as if we stand with John on Patmos seeing the door of Heaven open to give us a glimpse of what is to come.
I find writer and editor Ramona Richards beautiful. My favorite beauty is born of intelligence and wit. Ramona has that combined with amazing insight into literature and all things written. Mix that with her love for the Lord and willingness to step outside her introverted self to serve Him by serving hopeful writers and she deserves the cover of our Beautiful Women lineup.
God has graced me generously with the delight of knowing a small group of other women writers we call the Light Brigade. The beauty of these women – their devotion to God, their dedication to those they love, their passion for excellence and for pursuing the art of writing God’s light into a dark world inspires me every day. My world is full of beauty because of their faces. Above are just two of their beautiful faces, if I showed them all, their beauty would overwhelm you. 🙂
Clernise Crowley is a beautiful face I miss seeing every day. Her beauty is born of faith and of survival through Christ alone. Her beauty is born of joy and of being with Christ in the moment. Orphaned in Haiti, she relied solely on Jesus to provide her escape. He provided that and brought her to America and into a loving marriage with Joe. Shortly after she happily became a US citizen, the earthquake devastated Haiti and God called her back to the land she’d prayed to escape. She chose to obey God rather than her own desire to remain stateside and God is using her mightily to further His kingdom. She is the beauty of submission, service, and triumph through Christ.
And then, there’s Elizabeth Comire. She’s a mom. She’s a stay-at-home mom who serves her family and her church and her community. Her beauty comes from mother-love but also from the contentment of a woman who has made her home with Christ and draws her identity from Him. She inspires me every time I see her.
I think that Jennifer Valent is beautiful. Her beauty comes from faithfulness to Christ as she serves Him through writing, through caring for children, and for remaining true to Him in a solo adventure on this planet.
My friends, Arline Tinkham and Diane Homm and Joan Lawson are beautiful. Their beauty comes from bearing the grief of losing children or husband but pouring that grief out to God and continuing to love and serve and praise Him even in the face of loss.
And my friend, Barb Schrag, who loves the Lord with an unwavering zeal and who continues to work to build His kingdom despite a lifetime of obstacles to overcome and endure. Her beauty comes from faithfulness and joy in the face of hardship, a heart aimed toward heaven like an arrow.
There are beautiful women everywhere I look and their friendship and love makes my life a work of beauty, too.
Do you know a beautiful woman? Where does her beauty come from? Tell of it here.
**All images on this blog were stolen from my friends’ facebook pages or are my property. If they would like them removed, they know how to reach me. 🙂
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I think every woman should follow your lead on this post.
When I think of beautiful women, I immediately think of my grandmothers. Each different, but fiercely dedicated to God and devoted to their family (especially me – hey, what can I say? I was a favorite grandchild! ha!)
Thank you for including us. (Light Brigade)
And I certainly agree that Hannah should be on this list. I’ll miss seeing her at BRMCWC this year. Maybe next year. 🙂
Great post, Lori!
I like that, Cathy! Every woman with a blog should compile the list of beautiful women in her life. This is just one portion of the beautiful women in mine! Wouldn’t it be great for cyberspace to be full of beautiful faces! I’m glad yours is here now! I need a photo of all of us together!
I am always amazed at your opinion of me. Thank you so much for including me, Mom. I love you! I’m also glad to hear my skill in sarcasm is developing nicely to your standards.
(Hint: You’re one of the most beautiful women in my life 😛 )
Thank you, baby.
“Beauty is as beauty does” is an old saying this strong Yankee woman learned long ago. The women you have included seem to have that saying engraved in their hearts with the Word of God. What a rich woman you are. You get because you give.
And Hannah comes by her sarcasm naturally–it’s passed down from generation to generation. But we use it wisely! Love you. MOMMA
😉
“Beautifully” done. These women, and many in my life, are beauty-full…like my Mom’s determination-grace, and my sister’s broken-strength, and my 2 daughters who continually are learning to walk with God in and out of seasons in their 20’s. I have a friend in FL who dances to the Lord in the elevator where she works. I have another who always encourages no matter what is going on in her own life…like cancer. Thank you for reminding us what real beauty is!
Glad you were blessed, Robin.
Lori, you are a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul. Thank you for being my friend. I am honored to be on your wall of beautiful women. I love you Lori. ~ Diane
Praying for you all the time, my friend.
I love how you are able to see beauty in others, even when stress and circumstance can (in me, at least) obscure it! As the years pass, it becomes more and more obvious to me that true beauty is not external…
Your beauty is visible in your discernment, your perseverance through difficulty, your faithfulness to God, family, and friends, and your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. I am strengthened in my walk with God because you and I walk through life together. I know that as your writing audience expands, there will be many more who will be blessed!
Thanks, woman.
This post brought tears to my eyes. I’m definitely going to grab the baton on this one! God bless you!
Lori,
What a beautiful tribute. I have some beautiful ladies who adorn the doctrine of God and bless me by knowing them: my friend Astrid, Judy, Angie and Marybeth. Judy especially has helped us learn how to be keepers at home, loving our husbands and our children. Her legacy still goes on today.
I am blessed to know you too Lori, by way of cyberspace and am blessed by your wonderful writing.
Megan