Yall.
I love people watching. It is so fascinating. People all over this big earth are so different, so unique. I have always loved diversity…loved being the minority. So the World Race is a dream for me. I get to travel to 4 continents, constantly being shoved in to new cultures, ethnicities, people groups, etc. I have seen some pretty fascinating humans. It is one of my goals in life to always find the beauty. To search for it in the people that others ignore. Everyone is beautiful. I mean that. If we will just take the time to really see the person in front of us, or passing us on the street, or serving us coffee, or waiting in line beside us…they are art. We are art. “God’s handiwork.” I have been all over the place and gazed on a lot of beautiful faces… but the most beautiful? The most beautiful faces I have seen?
Definitely the abuela (grandma) generation of Central America.
There is something that strikes my soul about seeing a little, old, lady in a lacy apron smiling at me. Deborah always joked that I couldn’t pass an old lady on the street without smiling and stopping to say hello. Their smiles are special, so magical. Especially when she is smiling amidst dark or gloomy situations. Whether she has a full set of teeth or only two. It’s something in those shining eyes. A secret maybe. There is light, there is radiance, there is hope. There is true and lasting peace. There is wisdom shining out of her soul. There is evidence that she has weathered the storms of life but still knows joy and the power of a smile. The fact that she may be sleeping on the street or begging for her next meal, makes my heart break in a million little pieces-it makes me angry, but it also makes the smile that much more powerful.
These women, the golden girls of Central America, have shown me what true beauty is.
In the USA we run as fast as we can from wrinkles. We see one slight imperfection that hints of our age and we want to try the latest treatment-no matter how crazy, expensive or dangerous, to avoid being reminded that we are getting older. We spend our lives in front of the mirror, constantly criticizing every detail. We go to such extremes to maintain image. BUT WHY? And for whom? Why do we put ourselves through such misery and punish ourselves when we fall short of the mark someone else imposed upon us?
In the United States wrinkles are a source of shame. A reason to hide. But the way I see it, wrinkles are a trophy. They are a sign of victory. Proof of triumph over life. You lived well and long enough to acquire some wrinkles? Congratulations. No seriously, that is something to be proud of. It is impossible to have not gained some wisdom along the way. Surely you did something awesome with your time. For most of the women I have seen, they raised a home full of children, probably on a shoestring budget, they worked hard their whole lives, and most of them love God with a devotion I can only dream of. Old age is only a shame if you have wasted your life on frivolous things like trying to stay young or find the fountain of youth…
Wrinkles resrepsent a lot of things to me… and not just that someone didn’t wear sunscreen..they represent living.
They’re from a lifetime of smiling. Smiling because your little boy just rode his bicycle for the first time. Smiling because your husband just cooked you dinner and told you he would clean the house. Maybe he told you your favorite joke. Maybe it is because your best friend showed up at your job with your favorite ice cream on your lunch break. Maybe it is because you hiked to the top of a beautiful mountain with your World Race team and the wind in your hair and the sun on your face makes it impossible to not smile.
Maybe your wrinkles are from a lifetime of laughter. Laughing so hard your stomach hurts when your team snuggles in one bed at the end of a long day (all 7 of you). Laughing because the sweet child you are holding is giggling so hard as you spin around the field of wildflowers in Honduras. Laughing because your brother fell down the stairs. Laughing because you can. Laughing because it feels good. Laughing just because.
Possibly you have a wrinkle or ten from pain, from crying many tears. But you know what? That’s okay too. You earned those wrinkles. And as much as joy and laughter are part of life, so are tears. They are a reminder that you’re alive and that your heart is still intact. Don’t mistakenly believe that struggles are bad or that they’re wrong. Struggles are a chance to grow, a chance to appreciate the laughter even more.
Wrinkles point to something bigger. They point to the fact that you lived. That you were here. That you experienced the gift of being human. You knew joy, you knew pain.. but you lived. So embrace the gift of old age and thank God for a life full of feeling. I mean wear your SPF and all, but still, embrace those lines, they’re proof of life. You are beautiful.
This lady was in the market in Antigua. I am buying fabric in each country to make a quilt and as soon as I saw her I knew I had to make a purchase with her so we could chat. She was beautiful.
The lady on the right in this photo, has been married to her husband for 65 years! WHAT? On my birthday we were able to stop at their home to pray for him as he is very sick. She was incredibly hospitable serving us soda and sending us home with a bag of mangoes from the backyard.
And this tiny treasure is Laura’s Honduran grandmother. We met her while doing village ministry. She lives with her daughter and her family. She even sang “Amazing Grace” for us in Spanish.
