A Much Needed Lift

My lovely cousin, Melissa and I, are putting the final touches on the "Precious Note" project. Having never designed a website before, it has proven to be a tad difficult. But the message behind the project is so powerful that I feel compelled to put my heart and soul into making it as wonderful as possible.
I'm not saying that it hasn't has its trying moments, however. During the process of installing various HTML codes, I was failing miserably and ready to bawl my eyes out. April first is right around the corner and the site is not ready. Then I pulled out my photo box to find a picture for the profile page. The first thing my hand grabbed was a photo of Grandpa holding me as a toddler. The tears flooded my face as I recalled how he encouraged me to persevere in the face of adversity. He never did anything for me, in the event that I struggled. Instead, he patiently sat by my side and taught me how to do the job right. I secretly wished that he was still with me, offering his words of wisdom and undivided attention.
Then, as i was checking my email, I came across one from my cousin. This was the message:

"Mama's note for the day: Don't waste time waiting for inspiration. Begin and inspiration will find you.
:o)
~M"

Her words, combined with Grandpa's memory, gave me the gentle upward nudge that my spirits needed to once again take flight. "Precious Notes" is a labor of love and the product of a loving mother's wish to continually guide her daughter, after passing on. No matter how lacking I am in the areas required to make this project aesthetically perfect, my heart is in it. I will give it my all and pray for guidance from the Father. No matter the outcome of our efforts, I will always know that we tried our very best. It is a beautiful project that I am proud to be a part of.

Precious Notes

I stink at keeping secrets. So I hope that my cousin will not be angry that I am letting you in on this one! My cousin, Melissa, was adopted as a baby. Her dad left her mother and her when Melissa was a teenager. Then, ten years ago, her mother passed away from ovarian cancer. She was recently reunited with her father when he suffered a horrible stroke and my grandpa (his brother,) was contacted by a nursing home. Melissa is currently trying to sort out his affairs and get enough money to move him to CO, so she can take care of him. Melissa has more than her fair share of heartache in her life. Yet, her light shines through all of the pain and she continues to be a ray of sunshine to all whom she meets.

Melissa shared something with me the other week and it touched my heart so deeply that I couldn't help but want to be a part of it. Before her mother passed away, she left little notes for Melissa. They were placed in a box, to be read whenever Melissa was feeling down or missing the love that only a mama can deliver. It reminded me of the hearts that Jo Frost implemented in our own family. I immediately got excited when she told me of her dream to make the precious notes from her mother, into a tool for all parents. April 1st will mark the tenth anniversary of Melissa's mother's passing. It is her desire to launch the project on that day.

My aunt was an exceptionally beautiful woman (inside and out) and it is very obvious that she passed her love and beauty, down to her daughter. As soon as the website is up and running, I will place the link on all of my blogs. I ask that any of you who have blogs or websites, place the link on yours, as well. We need to get the word out to all parents. We know not the hour or day of our departure from this beautiful earth. We should make the most of it while we are here. We should leave our children a legacy of love, lessons of kindness and precious notes filled with our memory. These are the greatest gifts that we can bestow upon our offspring. My aunt did it for my cousin and she is forever grateful to be able to pull out a note, read her mother's sweet words and feel the connection that she can no longer physically have with the woman who lovingly chose her for her own.

Submission Reminder And Update

Happy Easter to all of you beautiful mommies out there! I am so thrilled at the great response to the request for submissions in my search for the first recipient of the "I'm A Beauty" award! It is very touching to read all of the nominations and stories of motherhood. I've decided to post all of the nominees and their stories. For those of you who would like to include a picture of your nominee, please email it to me in .jpg format by March 30th. If any of you have a song that you think would fit our theme and would like to request it, please email it to me. I am always open to any suggestions that you all have for the blog.
Also, I want to apologize to those of your wonderful women who have volunteered to help with the BB blog. Things have been a little crazy since the show. Now that normalcy is resuming, I will be contacting you. If anyone else has something that they would like to contribute, or a sponsor that they think might be interested in our blog site, please let me know! We can always use prizes for our contests, as my pockets are not giant chasms filled with of money. In the meantime, get those nominee submissions in and enjoy your holiday weekend!

I'm A Beauty!

Happy Friday, beautiful ladies! I am pleased to announce a new feature here at Birthing Beauties, the "I'm A Beauty" award. It will be a weekly feature from now on and will rely heavily on reader participation. Here's how it works:

-Email me with the name of a Mom who you think is beautiful.
-Tell my why she is so special and give me some general background info.
-If she is selected to be the featured "I'm A Beauty" Mommy for the week, I will also need a picture (no bathing suit is necessary!) So have one at the ready!
-Each week, a new winner will be selected. The winner of the award will be featured on the blog and given the "I'm A Beauty" button to show off on her blog, Myspace, website or wherever.
-I would like to have a monthly Grand Prize winner, if possible. So we may have to include a weekly voting poll.
-I am working on getting sponsors, so that we can include prizes, once a month.
-I'll keep you all posted on it. For now, start racking your brain for nominees!

Have a beautiful weekend!