Act 15

Operation Beautiful does this thing called "No Make up Monday" and as a gal who goes make-up free everyday, I thought this would be a fun combination  of 26 Acts and the whole idea of Operation Beautiful's accepting inner beauty would be a great combination.  So often we spend countless dollars and countless hours making ourself beautiful on the outside, when really.... It's our inner beauty that radiates the strongest.

Jesse Lewis was a six year old whose inner light shined in all he did. He lived with passion, love, and wisdom well beyond this young souls life.  Jesse wase full of love for his family, life, and the house full of animals he loved, from horses, dogs and even a mini-donkey.  This brave soul, while no longer, lighting the earth, his lightness will live for ever in our hearts.

Act 14

You know how much I dislike shopping.  Well, clothes shopping is the worst of them all.  And trying on clothes?  I despise it.  I've been known to order a bunch of clothes online, have it shipped, try it on at home, and return what doesn't fit to the local store.  I go to great lengths to avoid dressing rooms and mirrors.

But this time was a little different.  I had a very good reason to head into the dressing room.  To leave this note.  Yes, I did try on two pairs of pants while I was in there, and yes, it was hard, but leaving the note?  That made it all worth it, cause I know the next person in that dressing room is going to smile.

I think that Josephine Gay would be smiling as well. Seven year old "Joey" as she was known to her friends, had just turned seven.  Joey was a very special child, as most children with special needs are.  Autistic and non-verbal, she touched lives of all around her without saying a word.  Joey's favorite color was purple (which is mine, too!) and in the wake of the tragedy, purple sprouted up everywhere in her honor.  In addition to her many therapy treatments, she loved to play with her Barbies, swim, sing, and be wherever her sisters were.

Act 9

I've you've ever visited the blog roll on my site, you've hopefully noticed a site called Operation Beautiful.  The mission of Operation Beautiful is to help end fat talk, and help people realize how bad the negative committee that resides in many of our minds can be.  I've been following OB on twitter and Facebook for a while, but haven't yet mustered the guts to actually post a note.

Until now.

I was heading in for an appointment yesterday and decided that it was time to give this a try.  This being writing a note, and leaving it in a public restroom.  This was a big deal, especially cause I have a huge phobia of public restrooms.  (Don't ask, long story for another time!)  But I did it.  I wrote a note, walked into the bathroom, and posted it.

And I did it in memory of Jessica Rekos.  She was a determined child, her family nicknaming her "the CEO."  Six-year-old Jessica absolutely loved reading about horses, and desperately wanted a real pair of cowboy boots for Christmas.  In addition to horses, Jessica loved reading about orcas.  Jessica was only six, but was a very spiritual child, keeping a bottle of holy water next to her bed where she said her prayers each night.