Love Inspirations

As I sat down to write tonight, I almost started this post with "Everyone has a style inspiration" but then I remembered the woman at SuperTarget today with the much-too-tight brown polyester pants and the blue, long sleeved, knit polo that was just a tad too short, leaving her stretch-marked front/muffin top peeking out like a big glob of unbaked whole wheat bread dough.

Apparently, not EVERYONE has a style inspiration, much less any style to start with. Or taste, or class, but I digress.

As I finished painting my apartment yesterday/today, and have begun to move furniture in, I've been trying to determine what my "style" is, when it comes to decorating. According to my much coveted Domino Guide To Decorating book, I'm "laid back, glamorous, traditional but with a twist". Sounds about right. No matter what I am, I know that as I begin to create a warm, inviting home, where I can both entertain guests and retreat from the world, one thought is consistently going through my mind - WWHD? What Would H. Do?

H. for those not in the know, is a dear friend, and someone who's generosity, intelligence, and far-reaching love are as abounding as her sense of slightly bohemian, slightly urbane style. When I first met H, a few years back, I was quite intimidated by her - she's just that cool. But as I've become her friend, over time, I can now see that she is not the least bit scary, but on the contrary is hilarious, down to earth and sincere. Whenever I get to spend time with her, I'm always in awe of her; both in her home, her wardrobe, and her many, many talents. Seriously, the girl's got mad style.

And now, she's my total apartment style inspiration. Every time I ask myself Is this print too much? or Is this color pairing going to clash? I just think of her home, with it's bright chartreuse piano, and eclectic yet coordinating mix of fun pieces. I think WWHD? and then I take a more daring step, knowing that somehow it will all come together. So, this post, is a huge, grateful shout out to H..... without you, what would I do? Seriously, thank you!!


Another person who's been my style, and well frankly, life inspiration lately is C. C. and I went to college together, a million years ago, and even then she was intimidatingly cool and above the rest of the crowd with her devil-may-care attitude. I sometimes wonder if she even remembers me, though I admittedly online stalk her, through the two well written and fascinating blogs she pens. I'm not sure if it's because she lives in Oregon, where I sometimes really long to be, or if it's because of the amazing I'm hipster cool without even trying vibe she gives off, but there's just something so charming about C., that I long to channel and project. Did I mention she's a great writer? Well she really is!

Tonight I was able to catch up on her blog, and get the latest news of her & her husbands long awaited journey into adoption. As I read of the joy and love she feels for her yet unmet 2 year old daughter M., I started to sob. I realized, both C. and H., have something much deeper, much more potent, and much more eternal than just a great sense of style in common - they have hearts so full of love that it just overflows into the lives around them. These two women are not just beautiful faces and tags or labels on a piece of clothing (though my heart did do a casual little flip when I read of C. purchasing skinny jeans for her incoming toddler). They're much more than the images they convey. They are beautiful, loving, caring women, and they are faithfully heeding the call to care for orphans and widows, which is a beautiful and noble thing.

I'm insanely jealous, but in the most non-jealous, non-mean, totally supportive, love-you-both-so-much kind of way. Here's the deal kids - I may look up to these two women for the class and style they exude. But at the end of the day, what I really look up to these two fantastic women for is so much more than that. I admire them because they are just awe-inspiring people with hearts, that like my own feeble one, are ready to give love wherever they can - to the neediest, the poorest, the most forsaken and forlorn. And they share so much more in common than they, perfect strangers in this small little world, will ever know.

Yeah, I want to be stylish. Yeah, I want to be modern, traditional, urban eclectic chic. Yeah, I want that adorable new pie plate from Anthro. But what I really, really want - what I covet, what I long for and desire - is to be a woman ready to give my heart away, at the drop of a hat, to the next underfed, underclothed, underloved child that God puts in my path. I too want to love on a child not my own, but not anyone else's either. I want to follow in their steps someday, and bring a motherless child into my life and home.

And when I do, I'm gonna throw style caution to the wind and let them spill on the buttery leather sofa, and color on the Robins Egg blue walls and make mud pies in their adorable little Crewcuts. Because you know what? Some things, like love, never go out of style.