Pretty is as Pretty Does

This afternoon, I read on the MOPS website that they needed submissions for their summer magazine about being a woman.  Lots of topics were given and writers were encouraged to submit a 450 word piece by...today.

I read the email at 2:30.  As I waited in line for dismissal, I did a web of my thoughts.  When we got home, I let the boys watch Wild Kratts while I wrote out my piece.  I emailed it off, did homework with the boys and now I'm posting it here.  I wish I could have had a bit more time to polish it and make the idea a bit clearer, but hey, it's done and I'm pretty darn pleased with how it turned out. 

Hope you enjoy.  The prompt:  A beauty legacy:  what your mom taught you about being a woman

My mom taught me many things:  how to cut my meat, how to shave my legs and how to be pretty.  I remember her saying (usually as a way of correcting me) that “Pretty is as pretty does.”

At the time, I found this phrase annoying.  I just wanted to be pretty but I didn’t want to have any responsibility for it.  Now that I’m an adult I have a deeper understanding of what prettiness is to others and what I choose it means to me.

We’re in a season of life that isn’t very glamorous.  Our clothes are stained, they rarely fit and me time includes have the luxury of trimming toe nails.  If we’re really lucky, we slap on some polish.

I asked my son what the prettiest thing about me is. Happily he told me, “Your pretty red hair, Mommy!”  I’ll admit it:  I really like my hair. Mom’s comment about prettiness being internal is more reassuring to me now that I’m watching grey take over.  I’ve made peace with the fact that aging is slowly finding its way to me even though I still would give the whole process a big “thumbs down.”

That being said, I understand at a deeper level know my mom’s sage wisdom about beauty because I’ve known plenty of beautiful women whose actions detract from their appearance.  Actions reflect a person’s true nature; physical beauty is just a happy coincidence.  It makes me think of a beautiful painting that is breath taking, but if you scratch the surface you quickly find that the beauty ends at the canvas.  In the same way, you can put on a show for a while, but true internal beauty will be revealed by what you do.

What reflects a beautiful character?  A love of Jesus that reflects His goodness to others.  Seeing a need and doing something about it, like taking a meal to a mom, mowing the lawn so her husband doesn’t have yet another thing to do on his day off or just showing up when she says she will. 

There are lots of things I can’t change.  My appearance is pretty much set.  I’m a short redhead until I’m a short grey-head.   I can’t make choices for my children, even though I sure try to.  I can’t change that there’s injustice in this world.  But I can choose not to give up.  I can choose to be Nice Mommy during the morning rush of getting the family out the door instead of being Mrs Cranky Pants.  Not easy, but the right choice because pretty is as pretty does.