Reflect a smile

CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE

I don’t have crow’s feet,
I have happy, happy memories of laughing with friends until the tears flowed.
I don’t have frown lines,
I have the marks of my frustration and confusion, which I battled through, smiling in the end.
I am not going grey,
I have shimmering highlights of wisdom, dashed throughout my silver hair.
I don’t have scars,
I have symbols of the strength I was able to find when life got tough.
I don’t have stretch marks,
I have the marks of growth and the marks of motherhood. My womanly evolution.
I am not fat,
I bear the evidence of a life filled with abundance, blessings, and good times.
I am not just forgetful,
I have a mind so full of stories, memories, and moments that there is scarce room to hold much else.
I am not old,
I am blessed with a life of great length, something not everyone can say.

Don’t change the way you look, my friend,
change the way you see.

- Written by Donna Ashworth

The illustrator of the art is Norwegian artist Lisa Aisato.

Herfst

# # #

“The Beauty in Growing Old”
—I used to think that growing old
was only silver, slow, and cold.
But then you came—this light, this flame—
and growing old feels not the same.

It’s softer now, the edges fade,
the rush of life begins to wade.
Each wrinkle holds a story true,
each laugh line points its way to you.

I move more slow, I rest more deep,
I treasure what I choose to keep.
The things I chased don’t matter much,
but nothing beats your hand’s small touch.

If this is what the years unfold,
then I am glad to grow this old.
For every day you let me see
the best is still in front of me.