Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

A Man of Gentle Kindness

Kindness, so powerful yet so underused.

Kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. How would you describe kindness in your own words? Friendly, generous, warm-hearted, soft spoken; these are all words I would associate with being kind.

Kindness is honestly one of the greatest gifts you can give someone. As Christians, kindness is something He expects from us. It allows Christ’s love to shine through us. He doesn’t want us to be unkind, we are to be different.

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32

This is my Father. When I think of kindness, I would imagine his face might be in the dictionary beside it.

He has went to the same church since he was a child.  My Grandmother taught Sunday School for years there.  When my parents got married, they continued to go to the same church.  There are members of that church that prayed for them and alongside them when they were adopting a baby.  There are members of that church that were there that first Sunday they walked in holding that sweet baby, and they all rejoiced.  They’ve prayed for each other and beside each other.  They’ve fellowshiped together for many, many years.  They’ve shook his hand every Sunday for over 50 years.

Throughout my lifetime, my Dads kind gentle spirit has always been shown both inside and outside of our home.  He is one of the only people I know that can find good in any situation and in any person.  If he had heard someone say something unkind to him, his response was always the same.  They didn’t mean it that way.  If he would hear me saying something unkind, he would always remind me that we are Christians, and God doesn’t want us to be unkind.  If someone stole from him, he would brush it off by saying they must need it more than I do.
Over the years time and age hasn’t been kind to him, although you would never know it.  He’s nearly 75% deaf and can only hear if it’s loud.  If there is background noise he can’t make out anything.  He’s also completely blind in one eye and nearly blind in the other.  
But he still goes to church every Sunday.  He doesn’t drive anymore, so church is the one day every week he gets out of the house.
He can hear most of the sermons, because of where he sits. But he can’t read the song lyrics on the screen in the front, he can’t read the words in the hymn book and he can’t see the writing in his Bible (that he still faithfully carries to be a testimony to others).
He loves greeting others, although his words may be loud (because he’s deaf).  He loves shaking everyone’s hand, although it may be harder than normal (because his hands have no feeling).  He loves talking to others, although he may have to stand a little closer (because he’s blind).  
He loves being kind, and making you feel welcome.
If we have a problem with an 80-year-old mans kindness that doesn’t mean we should take a closer look at him, it means we should take a step back and look closer at ourselves. 
You can change lives with your actions. You can change lives by your words. You can change lives with your kindness. You can change lives by allowing Christ’s love to shine through you. I’ve watched my Father do all of those things. 
Don’t ever be afraid to show your kindness.  You might be the one voice in their life at the moment that they need to hear. Your encouragement might be the one thing that keeps them going. Maybe you are the one who is to help them see Jesus.

Fade to Bright {Product Review}

A few things: 1) I sell makeup. 2) I constantly take selfies showing said makeup. 3) I’m addicted to pumpkin spice coffee. Put ’em together and you have a recipe for showing the world your stained teeth…and who wants that!?! Not me.

I’m a daily coffee drinker and {I’ll admit it} a prior smoker.  I’ve also had two annoying yellow spots on my bottom teeth since, oh, ever since I can remember.  Maybe since my early teen years.  In the past few years, I’ve noticed my teeth were just slightly getting a little stained from my coffee.

You guys. Nothing ages you more than brown teeth!

Glossy, pearly white teeth are always at the top of every girl {and probably} guys wish-list of something they’d like to improve about their appearance. I have always longed to have that Hollywood smile but don’t have the money to invest heavily into professional teeth whitening.  And the over-the-counter whiteners I’ve tried at home just haven’t given me any decent results. That is until I tried Fade to Bright’s products.

I received my kit from Fade to Bright in the mail with detailed instructions. All in all, it was pretty easy (and fun!) to do. They were gracious enough to send enough for my entire family to try, so Jade and I set out on a lazy afternoon to whiten our teeth.

Jade used the Whitening Pen, the Teeth Whitening Trays with the Mini Light.  It was such an easy application!  She just brushed the gel onto her teeth, put the trays in and turned the light on.  She left hers on for 20 minutes.  You can see her amazing results below!
I used the Premiere Kit for my whitening.  First, I cleaned my teeth with the Oral Brush Up.  And boy, do they ever taste and smell good!  Then I applied the by painting it on my teeth.  I put a small amount of gel into the dispensing tub and dipped the brush into the gel and painted it on my teeth.  Easy peasy application!  I placed the tray {that was attached to my light} in over my teeth and turned my light on.  And then I settled on my bed and watched some Little House while it did it’s thing!    

After applying the whitening gel you can apply some remineralizing gel to replace the minerals your tooth enamel has lost due to acidic foods, drinks, teeth whitening or what has naturally been lost over time. There is also a special ingredient to help with teeth sensitivity.  I was pretty excited about this, since I have super sensitive teeth.  
I used the High Intensity gel that came with the plus kit. It contains 44% Carbamide Peroxide, that’s the highest percentage I have ever used but it’s still safe for your teeth. Most do-it-yourself sets like Crest White Strips only contain up to 16% of this concentration and that’s why the effect isn’t so drastic. I can honestly tell you, this system worked for me without leaving my teeth sensitive!  It’s very easy to do and the best thing is that you can do it at home! It is not uncomfortable at all since the trays should fit perfectly.

How were my results after one use? See for yourself:

 

To check out all the amazing products they offer, go to their website www.fadetobright.com.  Not only do they have great products, but the gal that owns it is a complete sweetheart and the customer service is above and beyond!

They’ve also been gracious enough to offer my readers a discount code!!!  For $5 off your order, enter wth at checkout.

I received a free teeth whitening kit from Fade to Bright in exchange for writing a review, however, all opinions expressed are strictly my own.

An Open Letter To Those Who Have Walked Out Of My Life

Dear those who have left,

I have a lot to say.  I have so many words that I’ve held inside and never spoke.  And today, it’s time.

I will always love you. I know that sounds unbelievable for me to say.  Especially since you’re the one who chose to walk out of my life.  But those words hold true.

You knew from the beginning that I was someone who would always be there for you.  That no matter what your needs were, I would go above and beyond to try my best to meet those needs.  I would care for you and make sure that no matter what kind of day you were having, I was going to be your cheerleader. When you’re having a good day, I was there celebrating with you and enjoying the victories that you achieved. When you had bad days, I was there to make sure that you got back up and kept on fighting. I wanted to see you become a productive member of society.  I wanted to see you succeed. I wanted to see you achieve every single dream and aspiration that you ever thought of.  I wanted you to always choose the high road, no matter how hard that path was.  I wanted to show you what the true meaning of family was. I was the one that loved hard, and fell harder. 

Now that I am done explaining myself, I want to thank you for a couple of things that you taught me while you walked out of my life and chose to go into a different direction, chose to leave the person that would never dream of leaving you for others who you’ve just met, or just chose to lose touch along the way.
I want to thank you for showing me that I have such an amazing heart.  For showing me that I love so hard, and I, in turn, may not get the same. And that is okay. You taught me that I am able to love and care for someone and look out for them because it came from my heart, not because I wanted to gain anything from it. 

I want to thank you for not only walking out of my life, but showing me that the love and care I showed you was all for nothing. Once again, that is also okay. All the while that you were doing this to me, I was in turn learning something very valuable about myself. I learned to never give your all to people in hopes that they will do the same for you. Give your all to them and expect nothing in return.  The truth of the matter is, people will never have the same heart and love you have in your heart.  You can’t love someone into loving you back.  I thank you for not only helping me realize that, but making me a stronger person for doing so.
I want to thank you for showing my children a new-found appreciation for those constants in their life, the ones that are there and never leave.  Though it’s hard for me to see past the hurt and find the lessons they’ve learned, I know they are there.

I thank you for the memories made while we had our relationship, and I will always cherish those times. They were amazing. I am grateful and happy to know that you’re off doing well (at least I hope) and that you’re becoming the best person that you can be, and that is something we should all strive to do every single day.

If you’re reading this, I love you. Though our relationship can never return to what it was, I will always wish you well.  And I pray you always remember to take the high road, no matter the cost.