Sometimes the truest truths come from the littlest humans.
Tag: beauty is
Beauty is…little hands doing big things.
Daniela and her family make beautiful birthday cakes for kids who are dealing with hardships. She hand delivers them to the birthday boy or girl and sings them “Happy Birthday.” All while fighting her own battle.
Daniela Delgado is just like any other 8 year old girl. She goes to school, loves reading and participating in running club, and spending time with her family.
But Daniel is also extraordinary. She and her family make beautiful birthday cakes for kids who are dealing with hardships. She hand delivers them to the birthday boy or girl and sings them “Happy Birthday.” All while fighting her own battle.
Daniela took some time out of baking and running and reading to answer a few questions for OperationalizeBeauty.
(Warning: you may experience renewed feelings of hope for our future after reading this interview.)
Who she is: Daniela Delgado from Daniela’s Little Wish
What she does: Bake birthday cakes at no cost for kids with life threatening illnesses or disabilities and kids suffering a sad situation in their lives.
Where she does it: Stamford, Connecticut, but I travel all around Connecticut to deliver my cakes and now I am starting a project to deliver cake toppers to other states (sadly not the cakes, I cannot send them).
Meet Daniela
I am 8 years old and I am from Stamford, CT. I do not have siblings. I live with my parents, both are immigrants from Colombia (my mom) and Mexico (my dad) and I am so proud to call myself Colombian-Mexican-American. Like a normal girl I play with my dolls, I love reading books (it is my passion, too) and do exercise (I am in a running club to be healthy). I have a beautiful 3 pound of “hair” yorkie and I love to camp. I love nature and animals.
My mom always said that I am very mature for my age and I agree! I help my parents not to worry about me. I am never mean to anybody and I am very respectful to others and especially adults (I love to talk with them). My parents are raising me well, teaching me good values and morals.
I love to help others. I am so happy with myself!!
P.S I am a little disorganized but I am working on that!!
What is Von Willebrand and how does it affect you?
I have a health condition called Severe von Willebrand Disease Type 1. It is a condition that can cause extended or excessive bleeding. The condition is most often inherited (my mom has it too) and it is a deficiency in our impairment of a protein called von Willebrand factor, an important component in your blood-clotting process. In general, it takes longer for people with von Willebrand disease to form clots and stop bleeding when they’re cut.
I live a normal life. I just have to be very careful not to hit my head, my stomach, or my inner arms. I have to avoid contact sports and stay away from heights of more than 8 feet. I always carry with me special medication that could save my life in case of minor and big accidents. My school and my classmates have to know about my condition and avoid rough play with me. I feel special because I have a nurse in school that takes care of me and the secretary of my school, Patti, always takes care of my minor boo-boos and calls my mom about the incident. I am having nose bleeding episodes without a reason and my mom taught me how calm I have to be, lay down, pinch my nose in a special place, take my medicine and rest for a while. I always wear a medical bracelet with my condition and it is good because in case of accidents doctors and paramedics know what to do. My body is changing, so I can expect any effect related with my condition. I do not feel shy or different to anybody, I just have to be careful with myself.
Tell me a little about Daniela’s Little Wish. When did you start DLW? What inspired you to start? What exactly do you do?
Well, I started this community group when I was just 4 years old. My mom and dad were making a cake and I raised my magic wand (spatula) and wished that I could make cakes for kids suffering in this world with sickness, disabilities, domestic violence and any situation that makes them feel sad or different.
Continue reading “Beauty is…little hands doing big things.”
Run and tell that
Beauty is…how kind you are
Four years ago Daniela made a wish. She wished that she could make cakes for kids that were suffering with sickness, disability, domestic violence, or “any situation that made them feel sad or different.”
Meet Daniela Delgado.
All of our posts this week will revolve around this beautiful little lady.
At only eight years old, Daniela is reminding us what beauty really looks like.
Four years ago (yeah, that’s right, she was only four years old) Daniela made a wish. She wished that she could make birthday cakes for kids that were suffering with sickness, disability, domestic violence, or “any situation that made them feel sad or different.” Because every kid deserves a cake on their birthday.
And she has been baking up a sweet storm ever since.
Learn more about Daniela and her incredible work in tomorrow’s post.
Run and tell that
Beauty is…believing that you can do it.
She believed she could. So she did. And that is beautiful.
Meet Heather: blogger, entrepreneur/fan of alliterations, mother of four. And all around rock star.
She recently embarked on a journey to get healthy. Since starting her journey nearly 3 months ago, she has lost nearly 40 pounds and a whopping 70 inches! And she is only half way to her goal!
Now, obviously, she is looking great. But that is not the point.
Heather’s youngest kiddo is a toddler. In the not-so-distant past, he took off running down the street. And she. Couldn’t. Catch. Him.
Obviously, that was unacceptable to her. The thought that her son could be hurt because she physically couldn’t get to him was just not ok. So, she got to work. She made her health a priority. And it isn’t just her body that has changed, her whole outlook has shifted. Were as before, a trip to Disneyland might have seemed like more work than it was worth, she now looks forward to such trips. “I just started being more up for doing everything we like to do. Like going to the beach, Disney, whatever. It doens’t feel like such a schlep everywhere. I’m boosted with energy. The nutrition is amazing.”
Oh, and her little one? He can’t get away so easily anymore.
She believed she could. So she did. And that is beautiful.
Run and tell that
Beauty is…in their eyes
Being a mom isn’t always glamorous.
(If you are a mom, chances are you literally just laughed out loud because being a mom is pretty much NEVER glamorous)
But that’s not to say that a mom doesn’t FEEL glamorous from time to time.
Meet Liam and Zak. These little cuties are aspiring actors. And this picture, taken during a recent photoshoot, makes their mom feel especially beautiful.
You see that light in their eyes? That’s what happens when they look at her.
Run and tell that
Beauty is…unapologetic
There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being apologetically herself
Run and tell that
Beauty is…walking away alive
Melissa has said that she wants her story to be heard, so that she might “make a difference in someone else’s life.”
(Trigger warning)
Melissa Schuster was unloading groceries from her car one Saturday afternoon when a blue Altima backed into her driveway. Londale Madison got out of the car and asked Melissa for money. After she told him she didn’t have any money to give him, she went into her house and locked her door. But Londale was persistent. He knocked on the door, again asking her for money. And again, Melissa refused. That is when he pushed the door open and attacked her. He hit her, forced her into the shower, raped her, and stabbed her 17 times. He then took her purse and her cell phone and left her for dead.
Melissa thought her last moments would be spent in that shower. Alone and scared, she remembers thinking, “This is it. I’m not going to make it. I’m gonna to die.”
“But then I told myself, ‘No, I’m not going to let this person overcome me.’” Melissa said.
“I was terrified, but I was not going to give up.”
She ran out of her house and made it to her neighbor’s door. “She was covered head to toe with blood,” the neighbor said. “My husband put a blanket around her and ran outside to see if he could find who had done this to her.”
Londale was found, arrested, and charged with one count of attempted first degree murder, one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault, one count of home invasion and one count of armed robbery–all are felony charges. If he is found guilty on all counts, he will be facing a maximum of 120 years in prison.
“I want to see him put away for a very long time,” Melissa said. And it is quite likely she will, as he has plead guilty to the crimes.
Though many media outlets typically do not release the names sexual assault victims, Melissa has said that she wants her story to be heard, so that she might “make a difference in someone else’s life.” When she was released from the hospital a week after the attack, she spoke with press, saying that the hope of helping others is part of her healing process.
Melissa said that the first time she looked in the mirror after the attack was heartbreaking, but then she “realized it’s just the beginning.”
“Talking about what happened is a relief, part of my recovery,” she said. “I have been talking about it since day one.”
She is strong.
She is inspiring.
She is hopeful.
She is beautiful.
And she won.
“I defeated him,” said Melissa. “He tried to take everything away from me but I won in the end. I did not give up.”
Run and tell that
Beauty is…the wisdom and time you give away
We are all struggling souls. And, for the most part, we are all doing the best we can with what we’ve got.
What we love most about this quote is the reminder that we are all “struggling souls.”
I’m not sure why judging each other– and ourselves– comes so easy to us. Were we born that way? Did we learn it? Did the dreaded monster “media” teach us? Whatever the reason it seems to be almost second nature. We often have to remind ourselves NOT to do it.
So here is another friendly reminder, from us to you. We are all struggling souls. And, for the most part, we are all doing the best we can with what we’ve got.
How will you share your wisdom and time today?
Run and tell that
Beauty is…changing the world
Malala is by now a household name, and perhaps one of the most beautiful young women of our time.
Malala is by now a household name, and the name of one of the most beautiful young women of our time.
Just in case you live under a rock, you can click here for a lovely presentation about her beautiful self:
If you’re not in the clicking mood, keep reading…
- She was born in Mingora, in Pakistan‘s Swat Valley, in July of 1997
- The Taliban began taking over her hometown when she was young. They forced many changes on the people in the Swat Valley, and targeted girl’s schools in particular.
- Malala’s father founded the school Malala attended, and she did not give up her right to an education. In 2008 she gave a speech calling out the Taliban entitled, “How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?”
- In 2009 Malala began anonymously blogging for the BBC. She wrote about living under threats from the Taliban. You know, the typical stuff 12 year old girls deal with.
- In 2011, she was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize and she was awarded Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize.
- When she was 14, she and her family learned that the Taliban had issued a death threat against her. However, they thought that even the Taliban would not harm a child.
- In October 2012, a masked man boarded her school bus (more of a truck, really) and asked for Malala. When a couple of the kids looked towards her, the man held a gun to her face and shot her. She was hit in the left side of her head. Two other girls were also injured.
- In November 2012, the Malala Fund was created. First, with the mission to aid with her medical expenses. When she had recovered she said, “I am fine. Help the other Malalas.” So, they did. And they have continued to do so.
- Incredibly, she returned to school (in England this time) in March 2013.
- In July 2013, she spoke at the United Nations.
- In October 2013, her book “I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban” was published.
- That same month, Malala was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament.
- She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize first in 2013, then again in 2014, when she became the youngest person to ever win the prize.
- On her 18th birthday, she opened a school for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. She urged her supporters to tell world leaders to invest in “books, not bullets.” She wrote: “The shocking truth is that world leaders have the moneu to fully fund primary AND secondary education around the world– but they are choosing to spend it on other things, like their military budgets. In fact, if the whole world stopped spending money on the military for just 8 days, we could have the $39 billion still needed to provide 12 years of free, quality education to every child on the planet.”
Needless to say, Malala is everything a human should be. She is brave, passionate, and active. She sees clearly the obstacles in the way of her mission, and she speaks out tirelessly against them. She is truly changing the world.
And that is beautiful.
(image from communitytable.parade.com)
Run and tell that
Beauty is…simple
Let’s be a bit more intentional, ladies. Let’s look closer to home for our images of beauty. Let’s tell our daughters (and sons!) that they are beautiful because of their passion, their drive, their empathy. Not because of their glossy lips and smooth complexion.
I remember some parts of Jr High very clearly. I spent a lot of time with those silly magazines aimed at tween and teen girls. You know the ones. They had posters of long haired boys with dreamy eyes. They had quizzes that define who you are and what you will be. And they had those lovely beauty tips.
Here’s the struggle I remember. There was this huge fad– to look as natural as possible, but with make-up. That seemed to be the aim of every product. To get natural looking shiny lips, you should use this lip gloss. To get natural looking smooth skin you will need this foundation. To get natural looking long, dark eyelashes, you should use this mascara. And here’s the thing– this seems to be a timeless trend in beauty.
I know it wasn’t new in the 90s and it is still popular now. What is up with this desire to USE products in order to look as though we DON’T use products?!
Now, I get it.
I get wanting to look presentable without looking like a clown.
Personally, I have this thing with the dark circles under my eyes. I don’t usually leave the house (or even the bathroom) without some concealer.
My beef is that we are presenting all of these images of “natural beauty” that are anything but natural! These ladies were in hair and makeup for at least a couple of hours. The lighting was just so. The camera angle was just right. And if the final shot wasn’t quite flawless enough, there is always Photoshop.
Let’s be a bit more intentional, ladies. Let’s look closer to home for our images of beauty. Let’s tell our daughters (and sons!) that they are beautiful because of their passion, their drive, their empathy. Not because of their glossy lips and smooth complexion.
This becomes especially difficult when your little one has spent the last 30 minutes locked in the bathroom trying to get her hair just right. Or has turned the dress-up bin upside down looking for the “prettiest” princess dress. She has put in all this effort, all this time and energy, when she triumphantly flings open the door, struts towards you, and says, “Ta da! What do you think?!”
Quick! What do you say?!
“Ohhhhhh, you look so BEAUTIFUL!!!”
That’s what I thought.
If you are going to stick with this reaction, you now have an extra responsibility. She needs to know beauty is not tied up in her hair-do or her princess dress. You need to praise her beauty when she rolls right out of bed. After she has been crying. When you are tucking her in. When she has been splashing around in a muddy puddle. When she gives her little sister the last bite of brownie. When she studies all week for a big test on Friday.
Or, you can re-evaluate your reaction. You can praise her creativity in hairstyle choice. Or her independence in picking out her own shoes and dress. Her dedication in making sure everything was how she wanted it. You can ask her if she feels proud, comfortable, happy. You can comment on how colorful and original her outfit is.
The point is to not equate the “stuff” with beauty. Beauty is not the hairstyle and its not the dress. Its not the lip gloss or the concealer. Those things can certainly make us feel prettier, more confident, more comfortable. But when they are washed off, our beauty remains.
It’s that simple.
OperationalizeBeauty 