Beauty marks. The term my family uses to describe freckles and moles. I love freckles. And, actually, I love moles, too. Probably because my family called them beauty marks. Freckles and moles were never seen as something that needed to be remedied. In fact, they really were seen as emblems of beauty. Something that sets us apart.
Patty and I both have a mole under our right eye. In, literally, the exact same spot. My Dad has four freckles under his right eye. I love those four freckles. Patty and I have freckles on our palms and on the inside of our fingers. Which is very rare, actually. And the other day while I was giving Adelyn a bath, I noticed that she now too, has freckles on her palms and fingers. Our entire family has lots of freckles and moles on our arms. Which I think makes our arms look really beautiful. Especially with a nice hint of sun.
The other day, Adelyn came into my bathroom as I was drying off from a shower. Matt was off that day, and she had been watching a show in bed with him. But, she gets antsy, especially when she has the opportunity to go through my jewelry case. She came into the bathroom wearing a few necklaces. As I continued drying off, she all of the sudden said, "awww, poor Mama has a boo-boo." I was confused as to what she was talking about until she came over, and pointed to the stretch marks on my tummy. They are pretty red and pronounced still. I know they'll start fading soon, and I'm not worried about them. But, what did worry me was this: what do I call them? What do I tell Adelyn they are? It's not a "boo-boo." They aren't scars. So, what are they?
I stood there a minute not knowing what to say. I kind of fumbled around a bit, until I realized, they're beauty marks. If anything should be called a beauty mark, shouldn't it be stretch marks on a tummy? A tummy that was the first home for my sweet babies. Where they grew, and where I fell in love with them?
"Those are just Mama's beauty marks," I told Adelyn. Beauty marks. Not something that needs to be remedied. Not something that needs to be fixed. They are emblems of beauty. They are marks of greatness. Because nothing my tummy could ever be or do, could ever be greater, than when it was home to my babies.
Thankful for beauty marks.
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