What is Beautiful?

Name Change. I changed the title of my blog to Chasing Beautiful because I want it to reflect what I think we’re about as human beings. Don’t we surround ourselves with things we think are beautiful? We decorate our homes with colors and furnishings that please our eyes. We plant flowers, trees and shrubs to enhance our yards and outdoors spaces. When we go on vacation we like to go places where the scenery is breathtaking. Our closets are filled with clothes that we bought because we thought they looked good. We fix our hair and put on make-up to make ourselves appear more attractive. Reaching for beauty infuses a huge part of our lives.

Why Now? Five years ago my life was fantastic. I had a loving family, nice house, we all enjoyed good health, and we were financially stable. As empty-nesters, my husband and I could – and did – do pretty much whatever we wanted. Yes, he worked, and I worked a home-based business, but around our daily work schedules, we crammed in a lot of fun. The year before, our first grandchild was born and we doted on him. I knew we were living smack-dab in the center of God’s will. My prayer life was energized, my personal Bible study amazing, and I loved teaching other women about the spiritual discoveries I was making.

Then everything fell apart. I was diagnosed with aggressive, triple-negative breast cancer. Within a week of my biopsy I spent an entire day in clinic and four days after that started chemotherapy. I wondered how this could be happening. The chemo affected my body in unusual and devastating ways. I suffered horrible side effects that surprised even my doctor.

When my treatment ended nine months after it began, I was cancer-free. I praised the Lord and felt that He had plans for me that could never have happened without going through the cancer journey. But I floundered. I couldn’t figure out what those might be.

The Pieces Fit Together. I tried to continue doing what I had before the cancer. But my business suffered because I was no longer motivated by the same things. Money and prestige dropped off my list of desires. They were never primary for me, but now they are completely absent. Recognition for a job well-done didn’t even seem that appealing. I supposed I had something to say in the written word, but I couldn’t figure out what that might be. My focus had shifted, but I lacked clear vision to see where it went. Then God began to clear the fog for me. He directed me to read some books through which He spoke loud and clear to my heart. I finally knew what my direction should be. It isn’t all that different from before, but it all fits together in a beautiful new way.

Beautiful Design. My home-based business is jewelry. Fashion education is a big part of that business. Everything I wrote pre-cancer had the word “beautiful” either in the title or as part of the subject matter. My whole professional life pointed toward helping women feel better about the way they looked and leading them into a beautiful relationship with the Lord. This way their beauty radiated from within. I still have that focus, but it is enhanced by my drive to help women cope with, recover from and even prevent cancer.

Topics. Because beautiful is so all-encompassing, I will address many aspects of it in my future posts. I may try to sort them by subjects, such as nutrition information on a particular day of the week, fashion on one day, devotions on one, etc. Please do remember, however, that all beauty is God-given and there will be a spiritual point each day. But my posts will no longer be strictly devotional in nature. I’ve spent five years studying health and wellness besides keeping up with fashion trends and there is a lot of information to pass along.

Information Station. You can think of this site as a place where information is distilled to its essence. You might know you need to update your wardrobe for fall, but don’t have a ton of money to spend. I’ll show you how to find a current look in your closet. Maybe you know you need to eat better, but the grocery store is filled with such an array of products you hardly know where to begin. I’ll help you navigate the store. The Bible has a lot to say and you know you should read it, but it seems so overwhelming and time-consuming. I’ll help you find a plan you can actually use. Your physique suffers from “office chair syndrome” and your schedule is too full to add another thing. I’ll teach you about Functional Fitness.

Proactive Prevention. A lot of good research has been conducted in the last several years on cancer prevention and the study results are now filtering out to the public. I’ll keep tabs on those and show you how to make the information benefit your daily life.

God’s Plan. There was a purpose for my cancer journey that can be fulfilled right here. An early lesson for me was that I could trust God, no matter what my circumstances looked like. I want to help you get to the point where you can trust Him, too. As I continue learning spiritual lessons, I will pass them along to you. We can grow together. We are not designed to do life alone. I want to come alongside you so we can walk together. Sort of like life’s girlfriend 5K!