Fashion! I love fashion.

When I get up in the morning and I reach for that pretty blue top that brings out my eyes and reminds me of a bright blue sky I am filled with joy and gratitude. I am grateful for the clothing on my back! I believe fashion is a reflection of how you feel about yourself. Wrapping paper on a gift is like your clothing and ribbons and bows are like your jewelry it just makes the whole package come together.

Every morning you reach for something in your closet that reflects how you feel or how you want to feel that day. That comfy t-shirt in your favorite color, those blue jeans that make your butt look great is all a reflection of you. Even that uniform you wear to work clean and pressed topped off with your favorite jewelry makes you feel important. Whatever your wardrobe is, rich or poor or somewhere in the middle, it is a reflection of you. Take care of your clothing keep them clean and take the time to neatly store them. Learn to sew and make little repairs in your favorite pieces till it is time to say goodbye and welcome something new, or something that is new to you.

I grew up in a large family with four older brothers raised on a farm and in a big city. I had a lot of hand-me-downs from some generous girl cousins. We were not rich but I felt rich when mom would bring up 2 black plastic bags full of clothes from her sister for me. There were so many clothes! Some of the garments still had price tags on them! All the styles and colors it was like Christmas morning! I loved the fleece tops and blue jeans. I loved the little sundresses that had the elastic material around the chest and little ties at the shoulders. I felt pretty and loved the prints and colors of my clothing. As a teenager, I had a tiny wardrobe but I learned to choose pieces that were of good quality and went well with other pieces. I had 5 pairs of blue jeans i would take my clothing allowance for school and spent most of it on designer jeans. Even if that meant just 1 new pair of jeans that year. Does anyone remember Fancy Ass jeans? Now I am showing my age lol.

I took pride in my clothing I kept them clean and neat and always wore jewelry. Jewelry was so much fun as a teen and young adult i loved hoop earrings and layered necklaces and funky rings. I wore ankle bracelets and toe rings. I even had an arm bracelet that looked so cute with a white tank top and blue jeans. I loved jewelry and was thrilled to find a bold piece that was feather-light. I remember wearing heavy earrings that pulled my earlobes down and I was afraid if I kept wearing them my earlobes would stretch down and flop in the wind. Heavy jewelry was annoying and i could not wait to take them off. After a few outings I would remember how uncomfortable they were and they got tossed aside. So many times I loved the look of a bold pair of earrings and thought they are kind of heavy but I can stand them for a while. Turns out I could only stand them a few hours and then they would retire to my purse. I am a petite woman and some of the jewelry were just too big. Clothing too was an issue I would see a model looking fabulous in an outfit. I would get that outfit on and look like a four-year-old trying on mothers’ clothes! Being petite means a lot of hemming! When i was a teenager I disliked mom jeans or those pants with pleats in the front. Wow if you were short and wearing those styles you looked all belly and butt and way shorter with pants coming up to your rib cage! I wore boys’ jeans for the low waist. I would take in the legs to make them tight all the way down. I made low waisted skinny jeans before they were something you could buy. I watched fashion television as a kid and loved all the creativity and makeup and jewelry. I wanted to be a model!  There was not a high demand for a five foot one model at that time. So I dressed how I wanted ‚ I altered my clothing and had lots of compliments on my looks. In reality I really had poor self-esteem growing up and putting together a great outfit and some cool jewelry made me feel better about myself.

I remember going to dances with the family and dad would say put on your best clothes dress it up look your best. Dad would stop you with a lint roller before you left the house to remove the cat and dog hair so you looked neat and tidy. We loved animals that’s for sure. We would all be dressed up standing in our tiny kitchen and dad would smile and compliment us on looking clean and well dressed. We were farmers and construction workers and we cleaned up quite nicely. If you take the time to look your best it really shows good self-esteem that you care about yourself. This is not conceited this is self-respect. Conceit is putting oneself on a high pedestal looking down on others thinking your better, superior, more important than others. Self-respect and healthy self-esteem just claims your space here and allows you the freedom to express yourself and really love who you are. Mom always told me to never compare yourself to anyone else. You are here in this body in this life for a reason and your purpose is your own. Your path is your own to take. You can’t take someone else’s path or purpose‚ it is there’s. Wanting what another has thinking they do not deserve there good things, there life is jealousy and is judgmental. Thinking someone else is better than you, better looking and more successful is not appreciating what God has given you. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Jealousy makes poor self-esteem and you overlook yourself and your own beauty and talents. You are in charge of you. You are a creation of the divine! Feeling jealousy is a reflection of what is missing in yourself. Jealousy leaves you attracting a negative energy focusing on your lack of. That negative energy will attract more thoughts of poor me and low self-esteem. This is why it works better to never compare yourself to others. You are enough.

I remember as a little girl seeing the beauty in people and things. Every person and animal had beauty it radiated from with in. Nice things were like frosting on a cake. When I was a little girl I remember a rich lady dropping off a check for my father for work he had done. She drove up in a pink Cadillac convertible, she had a fancy coat and was dressed up to the nines! I was mesmerized by the beautiful colours and shiny metals on that gorgeous car and her jewelry. She walked over to me and bent down and smiled and talked to me. I touched her hand she had rings on every finger she smelled so nice and she looked like a movie star. She smiled at me and asked,” Do you like nice things sweetheart” ? She told me if I work hard and believe I can, that I can have nice things too. She put her fingertips under my chin and smiled at me and said, “a nice husband helps too. Believe you can and you will do what you want to do in this life.” I never forgot her she was the cake and the frosting. She was happy and successful. Whether you have a little frosting or a lot. Love yourself.

Take care of yourself. Look your best. Do not compare yourself to others. You have a place here a destiny a purpose believe in yourself and find it. Love yourself you were created out of love and have a purpose here. Own who you are dress your best put your jewelry on and find all the good things in life. Loving yourself opens up a whole new world. You will attract more love and things to be grateful for if you are grateful for what you have now.