Definition: Beauty

Let's take a quick drive down the road of Hollywood for a moment, shall we? I'll even let you have shotgun in my amazingly awesome, super sexy Aston Martin V12 Vanquish (shown here:

for your convenience), just so we look cool enough in the eyes of Hollywood. You know, since obviously what the world thinks is so important. Because, after all, it is the only thing that matters; haven't you jumped on that bandwagon yet? I mean, Ellen Degeneres says it perfectly in her recent Cover Girl commercial:

*close up of Ellen's face* "Inner beauty is important... but not nearly as important as outer beauty."

~End Scene for the Purpose of this Rant~

*screeching noise as Vanquish quickly stops and begins to careen wildly* Hold it.

She just said what?!

"Inner beauty is important, but not nearly as important as outer beauty." Please tell me I am going deaf and somehow missed the epic 90s "psych" clause made famous by Will Smith. There is no way she really said that. Is there?

Actually, there is.

That is Hollywood today people. Yup, it doesn't matter how awesome you are, if you're what the world claims to be ugly, you're screwed. That single zit on your right cheek? Yeah, sorry, you're no good. We'll toss you out like the rest of the rejects. Oh... those freckles... I'm sorry. There's just too many of them. You're going to have to go out to the back as well. And dear heavens; you weigh more than 105 pounds, and you're 5'8''?! You poor child. All that excess food you must be eating could feed all of Ethiopia.

I sincerely hope none of you honestly buy into this garbage, but sadly a very large percentage of people do. Nonetheless, I hope you rethink your thoughts on Hollyworld, because frankly, here's the "average" facts from multiple sources: The average U.S. woman is 5'4'' inches tall and weighs about 152 pounds. According to another source, the National Center for Health Statistics, the average weight for an adult woman is 162. 9 pounds. So here we have about a 10 pound difference, neither of which is anything close to Hollywood standards.

Now you're probably thinking, "That Cover Girl commercial had nothing to do with body weight. It's for make up." Well you're right. But here's the thing; it's all relative in this industry.

You can have the prettiest face in the world, but if you weigh more than what's "acceptable" then you're just not beautiful. This can also be reversed. You can also have the hottest body out there, but if your face isn't up to par, you also are not beautiful. At least, that's what Hollywood is trying to tell us.

Why are we letting these people, and in all honesty these evil people, control what beauty is defined as? Since when did inner beauty not matter as much as, if not more than, outer beauty? I mean, I know I'm not some hot looking celebrity, but I also know that I have some pretty awesome qualities and some things that make me plenty beautiful. And I don't need the fake world of Hollywood to define that for me.

Want the definition of beautiful from real people? Here's a few of many responses I got:

1. That smile of yours. You know the one; you're laughing at a joke and you can't help but grin and laugh.
2. Speaking of your laugh, that's another beautiful thing about you. I have not met one person who, with their real laugh, was not beautiful. Sure, it's not what everyone else claims is beautiful, but the real laugh of someone, meaning real joy in that moment, is beyond beautiful.
3. Honesty. True honesty.
4. Your pair of eyes. Whether it's the honey suckle brown, chocolate brown, muddy brown, the steel blue, the not so brilliant blue, emerald green, pea green, bright violet, turquoise, that green and brown mix of hazel or the kind that change color every day. Eyes are the window to the soul; beauty is found there no matter what. Everyone has them and every single one of them are beautiful.
5. Continuing with the idea of number 4: Their eyes, not because it is a physical feature, but they are as unique as a finger print, show ANY kind of emotion, and are the rare glimpse God gives us into each person's soul. :)
6. Confidence in oneself and their abilities. Able to love themselves despite human flaws.
7. You know that person who has amazing amounts of patience. The mother who takes her screaming children to the grocery store, the brother who lets their little sibling tag along with his friends etc.
8. In fact, mothers in general. I don't think there's much more beautiful than that.
   
9. I love when people listen to me and not just hear what I'm saying. I love having them pay attention, respond to my comments, and ask questions. I love talking to people and having them actually care about what I say :)
10. Giving and understanding others.
11. Hope.
12. A willingness to serve. Helping others in their times of need; I'm pretty sure Gandhi and Mother Theresa were some of the most beautiful people to walk the earth.
13. Humility, that understanding that they cannot do everything on their own. When a person is humble. They do everything out of the goodness of their heart and never expect anything in return. Now that is a great characteristic to have :)
14. How much their actions are a natural consequence of their attained level of charity. When someone is full of this character trait dealing with them is very easy because they have no agenda, they are truly without guile. I see this with my mother-in-law, she lives her life to serve others-it is beautiful.
15. Self-awareness. When you are around people who understand who they are, what their limitations and strengths are you are around an individual that you can rely on to be a true friend.
16. Love.
17. I love when I see people out, goofing around with little kids. The ability to let that inner child out and make little kids laugh, that's beautiful to me :)

If you notice, only 2 things listed up there were physical things-one which even said wasn't for physical reasons and the other is just our natural beauty as human beings. Can we please stop letting Hollywood have so much control? The number one response I got was a persons eyes; in case you'd overlooked this fact, everyone has those. And that is what most people think immediately when they think beautiful. Not a single person mentioned weight, or perfectly toned muscles, the clearest complexion, or anything Hollywood would have us think is "true beauty." Sure, I'll be the first to admit-I have to be physically attracted to whomever I marry because I don't want to wake up in the morning and scream at the hideous thing next to me. But at the same time, looking like someone who seems to have walked out of an Ambercombie and Fitch photo-shoot is not even close to the top of my priority list. What's inside matters more than any muscle-toned body and perfect complexioned skin every could.

The point is, if you see nothing else great, amazing and beautiful about yourself other than this, just remember: You are a child of God. The fact of the matter is you are of noble birth. And if you don't have at least some confidence on that alone, then you are in for one crazy ride here in life. Especially if Hollywood is driving that pretty Vanquish with you in the passenger seat.

Turn to the Lord

"When you find yourself missing someone so bad that it hurts, it's time to start depending on them a little less and depending on God a lot more."

Sometimes we don't know where to go when we are missing someone. We feel the need to cling tighter to that person, otherwise there's a possibility of losing them; this is not the case. If we were to just let loose a small amount and instead cling tighter to God, all things will work out as they should. And to use the Book of Mormon to back this up- Mosiah 7:33 reads:

"But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage."

Turn to the Lord, particularly when you are having a tough time in life, and he will deliver you out of bondage because He loves you.

The Book of Mormon

I just finished this book once again, only once in a handful of times where I have actually sat down and read it through. And just as it was true the first time I read it, it is still.

The Book of Mormon is true. It is the word of God, directed by His hand to lead and guide us in these Latter-days. The spirit is always there as I read and truly pay attention to what I am being told through the words on the pages. I'm so grateful for the knowledge that the restored gospel has the truth, through the Book of Mormon. And because it is true, everything that Joseph Smith said happened truly did happen. He saw God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. He translated the Book of Mormon by the hand of God so that we may all be blessed by what is within the pages. I am truly blessed to have had this confirmation given to me and I thank God for it every day.

Priesthood Power

Recently, I felt pretty sick. I had been doing fine all day at work, but immediately after when I went to go Christmas shopping a splitting headache erupted. My vision began to blur and my face began to numb. In short, a major migraine was attacking me full force.

After sitting in complete pain, not just in my head but my entire body began to ache, I finally tried to relieve the nausea I was feeling. It didn't work.

My brother came home as I laid in my bed, hoping sleep would take over and cause me to feel better. But I just couldn't get past my drowsiness to actual sleep. I finally asked him for a blessing.

All I can really say is this; prayers were answered that night for me; prayers that had been prayed for for months. My dear brother didn't know about what trials I was facing, what questions I had been asking my Father on High. But He knew. Because He was listening. And through the power of His priesthood, He had made it possible for me to not only feel better, but receive the answers that I needed. I'm so grateful for worthy family members who hold the priesthood and are able to use it at a moments notice. It is such a blessing in my life.