PHOTOS owned by Gloria Faye Brown Bates ... ME
Dear Gloria,
I was thinking about you this morning. Yes, you. I know I don't let you know that I do ... all the time.
I was thinking truly ... though you really are the most imperfect person I know ... you are perfect enough to be the person you are ... GLORIA.
You don't do anything to stand out ... you don't even wear makeup ... your jewelry, fancy clothes anymore. So, if you don't stand out to people ... how can anyone know who YOU are?
You've become just a nobody special. I have thought about this ... thought about the 'whys' you've changed through time.
Gloria, I see Life's Lessons ... Life's Storms, Battles ... have changed, shaped you, your way of thinking.
You've gone from being a very interesting person to know, who at one time commanded attention when walking into a room ... to someone who doesn't care whether you command attention or not.
The one thing I like about you ... you do expect to be treated with respect just as you respect others ... even if they don't deserve it.
Oh, those were the wonderful, breathless times you thrived on, loved. Men would love you, notice you, be attracted to you. Every head would turn to the beautiful young woman who was faking being ... perfect. They thought you were perfect never knowing you knew you weren't.
As time went by ... Life's battles, storms fought ... you slowly changed to a very dull, uninteresting person. You became caring, focused on others before you. You really saw people, cared with your Heart.
The need to be beautiful... the need to impress, to be perfect somehow magically disappeared! How did that happen to a beautiful young lady who walked by every mirror smiling at herself ... so happy because ... she finally got her wish as a child ... to be as beautiful as her mother. Everyone said so, you knew it to be true.
Gloria, today ... you are YOU ... no faking to be perfect. Why?
I've watched you sincerely compliment other females on how pretty they are, what a pretty outfit, lovely hairdo. Do you know that's one of the hardest things for a woman to do? They don't like to compliment other women, especially if they seem to be a threat to the man in their life. The truth is the truth.
Through time I admired how you walked forward toward whatever threatened you ... meet it head on, hold your ground ... and if you were knocked down you got back up dusting your pants off. You did this even knowing you could be beaten up, you could lose a battle.
I have watched as your Grandma Alma's legacy to you ... her beautiful, wild fighting spirit emerge ... in all its quiet, white-hot fury ... come out in you.
You became a force to be reckoned with ... without anyone seeing it coming. You only began to smile, stay very quiet ... be YOU.
What I admired is how you learned to choose your battles not wasting time fighting over nothing ... only for what you believe in.
You try to always handle things in a good way ... if that didn't work ... you tried to do it in the next best way ... if that didn't work ... all Hell broke loose. Life is that way sometimes but, you love quiet, peaceful, boring now.
I have watched you become emotional over people, animals being abused, killed, mistreated ... your Heart doesn't only cry for your own ... it's big enough to care, cry for others be it human, animal. You care for the world.
I've watched you silently say prayers for every animal you see lying on the road in death from a vehicle killing them. You cried silently as you prayed ... 'I pray you never felt any pain, death came quick. I'm so, so sorry.'
Today ... you are so far removed from the wild, free beautiful life that glittered, shined in all its glory you used to live. You shined in all your glory. Where did all of that so full of life, exciting Gloria go?
No one would believe now ... you are completely opposite now. Your life doesn't shine now unless you see sunshine glistening on your teardrops. Wow ... you don't stand out at all!
Your priorities have completely changed.. Now, you care for your husband ... your dog putting their needs before your own. They both need you ... you are always there for them. You have made them your very world.
Gloria, you sure aren't perfect at all. You didn't turn out to be a bad person ... you chose good over bad when ... you could have went the opposite way. I'm proud of the most boring, dull person you have become. You are beautiful in a good, boring way.
I like you ... I love you ... you are the best person I know. No matter if you are only you ... you are a good you.
From yourself, Gloria
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