Unless

     I have been struggling with something recently. I care very much about the state of our planet at this point in time. I want others to care too, because we share this place, but how do I get people to understand? How do I tell them without them thinking I'm being condescending, or just plain crazy? I am passionate about so many things and I want others to see the truth and care as well. Sometimes I feel like people don't want to hear the truth, but I care too much to keep quiet.
   
     It makes me mad that palm farms are destroying the only natural habitat in which Orangutans are found. It makes me sick that we will have to add yet another animal to the extinct list because we wanted palm oil for our cookies and chocolates, our cosmetics and shampoo. It hurts my heart to think that such a beautiful, intelligent animal is having its home torn down around it because humans needed the farmland. 

I think God feels the same way.

     It makes me mad that the companies that are genetically modifying our foods are also the companies that make pesticides and pharmaceuticals. It makes me upset that we are in constant search of a cure for cancer while we turn a blind eye to the cause. It makes me sick that Monsanto can genetically alter our corn and soy to resist it's pesticides. It upsets that they are spending millions to try and stop a proposition that would require that these products be labeled as genetically modified. They don't want us to know. Monsanto created Round-Up which it can now spray on its resistant seeds. We consume these pesticides and conveniently enough the company that profits from all these things that cause cancer are the same ones who profit from the treatment of it as well. We are scientifically altering the natural food that God gave us and we are polluting the soil in the process. It makes me upset that we focus more on condemning the sin of others than we do on how we can protect the resources that God has entrusted us with. 

I think God feels the same way.

     It makes me mad that factory farms exists so that we can have cheap meat. We want to eat more than we should for the least amount of money possible. No matter how you look at it, someone or something pays the cost. Animals pay the cost because they have to live in their own waste, being force-fed corn to make them fat instead of the grasses, bugs or other foods that God intended for them to eat. They eat this corn, void of any nutrition, and it makes them sick. The cheap meat we consume has been kept alive by antibiotics because the animals weren't made to eat corn. We pay the cost because we consume this meat that has been fattened, pumped with antibiotics and killed in its own waste. It makes me so upset to think that we would treat any living creature this way, simply because we want to overeat at a low cost, which is damaging to our health anyway. God provided us food sources, I believe he wants us to respect them, taking just what we need. It makes me sad to think that we can justify horrific practices that are beneficial to no one in the end, just because we can.

I think God feels the same way. 

     
     Once you know something, you can't unlearn it. It's there, in your mind, and you have a choice. You can choose to ignore it, push it aside, deem it of no value. Or, finding it to be true, you can make a change. I have had to do the latter. Knowing what I know and seeing what I've seen, I cannot help but change. My heart becomes so discouraged when I see people that don't know what is going on, and worse, those who don't care. But then I remember that I made a change. I read an article, I watched a documentary, I listened to a professor. Each time wondering a little more about the way I was living and what I was doing. I've done the research and I've changed my thinking. So I can have hope. I hope that something I say or something I write might change one person's mind, open one person's eyes. Maybe they'll be interested just enough to look a little further. And maybe that person can share the truth and eventually change the mind of another. That's how change happens. One person at a time. It makes me excited to think that I could help turn this around. My soul smiles every time I meet someone that feels the same way that I do and I realize that I'm not alone. There are others out there who recognize the responsibility we have been given. I think it's time that we truly look at how we live and decide to forgo what is easy and what is cheap to stand up for what is good and what is right. And I truly think that God feels the same way.

I believe it and I feel the exact same way.

perfection is my enemy

The typical model is 5'11 and weighs 117 pounds. That's pretty crazy. I don't know very many people with that kind of body. So it's funny that those are the bodies we see most on TV and in magazines. I see images of older men "aging gracefully". Gray hair on men? He's a "silver fox", right? But what about women with gray hair? Color over grays! Fine lines? There's Botox! From the time our girls are little they see princesses in frilly dresses attracting a charming prince and living happily ever after. We never get to see Cinderella at age 60 or Sleeping Beauty with no makeup and bed-head. From childhood we are shown perfectly unrealistic standards. Every day I realize more and more that our society and culture are teaching women and girls that getting older is a process that we have to fight as hard as we can. I know this because I fear it myself. We have hair dye to hide the gray, potions to erase our freckles and stretch marks, and plenty of other expensive items to whiten our teeth or tan our skin. The problem is that no matter how hard we fight, it's going to happen. Yes, cue the dark depressing music, we will all get old. It can be so scary to think about when advertising tells us it's not okay. We're shown images of perfect and flawless bodies and told that if we want to be noticed and valued, we need a body like that too. We're told to diet, to count calories, to extend our eyelashes, paint our lips, wear less clothing, color our hair. I feel like we're being told that the way we look isn't enough, we always needs to enhance and make it better, more beautiful. Every day I struggle to fight against the pressure to be perfect. At the gym I find myself looking at how small someone else's waist is, or linger over a celebrity on the cover of a magazine, all the while thinking "if I can just work a little harder and eat a little healthier, I could look like that." The problem is that the girl at the gym has a different body type than me and the celebrity on the magazine cover? Well that's either photoshop or a personal trainer and more hours in the gym than I have to spare. I've found myself feeling bad or self-conscious if I didn't have time to put on makeup. We shouldn't feel bad or ugly because we didn't paint the face we were born with! You see, what we're doing is placing value on what girls and women look like(and I'm sure men feel this to some extent too). No longer do young girls care so much about being smart or good at sports, they want most just to be attractive, to be noticed. We are teaching them that this is where their value lies. We can't change an entire culture, but we can change individuals. Encourage girls and women you know to embrace how they were made. Embrace how you were made! Encourage an active lifestyle, not so that your body will attract attention, but so that you can feel healthy. Don't fear getting older. Don't be afraid of your freckles or your fine lines! Give compliments. Accept compliments! Think about the women in life that you admire the most. Is it because of their thin waist and perfect hair? How tall they are or white their teeth? My guess is no. Think about their character, their compassion, what they stand for. My grandmother is a good example. I don't remember her for looking like a supermodel. The laugh lines on her face were constant reminders of her kindness. The gray hair a symbol of the years she spent caring for others before herself. She was one of the kindest and most compassionate people I've ever known. FInd your value in helping and loving others. Help others find their value in that too. We can make a change little by little. Time passes and we can't stop it, but we can use the time we have to do good. It's not easy, I can attest to that, but we must make the effort to be okay with ourselves just the way we are. The next time you're tempted to look in the mirror and think something negative, don't do it! Get your value from what's on the inside. It's said a lot, but it's truly the only thing that lasts.

“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that
she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen
in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart,
the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
It's the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows &
the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.”
-Audrey Hepburn

There are future generations of girls who need to see what real beauty is and where it comes from. Let's be the ones to show them.

-Laura Leigh

You Are Royalty

"You are royalty. If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep... you are richer than 75% of the world's population. If you have a little money in the bank or spare change in a dish someplace... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy. If you can drink from your kitchen faucet whenever you want... you are more fortunate by far than 1.5 billion people who have no access to clean water at all. If you can attend church or a political rally without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death... you have the kind of freedom denied to more than 3 billion people in the world. If you can read this message, you are more blessed than 2 billion people who cannot read at all. If your everyday problems are weighing you down, there are millions of people on Earth who would gladly trade places with you right now-problems and all-and feel that they have been royally blessed. Remember: 'From those to whom much is given, much is expected.'" [ONE]

-Laura Leigh

Say something good. Do something special.

Tristan and I have been watching a series called "The Vow". It's a series about marriage and what vows really mean and how seriously they are to be taken. This week the speaker said something that I think can be applied to all of our relationships, not just romantic ones. He said "If you think something good, say it. If you think something special, do it." I find myself missing certain people, or wanting to write letters or send care packages, many times without ever actually making the time to do it. I know the reasons why I care about my family and friends, but I don't actually take the time to tell them. This week I've been trying his approach. If you miss someone, tell them. If you think of a reason why you care about someone, tell them. If you think of a special way to show a person you care, do it. We judge ourselves by our intentions, but we judge others by their actions. Intentions are great, but if they are never carried out we leave room for misunderstanding. Don't leave words unsaid, or acts of kindness undone. Speak up. Act now.

Say something good. Do something special.


-Laura Leigh