I came across this great monolog and really wanted to share it with you. Sometimes as mothers we fell so unseen and that our reward may never come but a woman by the name of Nicole Johnson wrote this and put things in great perspective.I have changed a few of the words as to not contradict what I believe. Hope you enjoy.

The Invisible Woman: When Only God Sees

It started to happen gradually. One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, 'Who is that with you, young fella?' 'Nobody,' he shrugged. Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, 'Oh my goodness, nobody?'

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family - like 'Turn the radio down, please' - and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move to turn it down. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, 'Would someone turn the radio down?' Nothing.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a get-to-gather. We'd been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, 'I'm ready to go when you are.' He just kept right on talking.

That's when I started to put all the pieces together. I don't think he can see me. I don't think anyone can see me.

I'm invisible. It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see Im on the phone?' Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?'  I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She's going... she's going... she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.'

That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Thought I'd give all you ladies a cup of tea for the day  

Beau~Tea

A quality that pleases the senses or agreeably engages the mind or spirit.

 What do you imagine when you here the word beauty? I can think of many things, a midsummer sunset, a lovely rose, a beautiful song bird, just to many to name.

Often times we apply the term only in describing somethings physical attractiveness, but there's so much more to genuine beauty than that. My wonderful mother always taught me that it's what's on the inside that counts, or for another familiar phrase, "beauty is only skin deep". Scripture teaches all who will listen that " Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised."

The cosmetic and clothing industries of our time spend billions of dollars each year in a futile attempt to disprove that scripture. Still, those of us who may never grace the front of a magazine because of our outward beauty can find joy in knowing that true beauty doesn't come from a jar or from what we wear. It can't be painted on, dressed up, nipped or tucked. "It's what's on the inside that REALLY counts."

Beauty that exalts the mind and spirit comes only from God. We are made beautiful by Christ's perfect love for us, love made visible in the beauty of His cross. As we consider that love, the Holy Ghost shapes and transforms our hearts so that, little by little, we become more like Jesus in love and service.

How do you visualize the beauty of Christ? That beauty comes from His infinite love. His voice is so soft and gentle, His name is above all names. The psalmist prayed "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all of the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple." (Psalm 27:4)

Yes, we all have bad hair days, and some of us, VERY bad hair days, days we don't feel so "pretty." Our mirrors sometimes shock us when we look in them, it reveals flaws and imperfections. But scars, crows~feet, cellulite, wrinkles and warts do not define us! Knowing, trusting, loving and living for Jesus makes us beautiful inside and out. When you go to the grocery store and someone can see the beauty of Christ on your countenance, that's true beauty.

My prayer for me and for you all is that his loveliness will be reflected in our lives.

1 Peter 3:3-4 says "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;  But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."

God Bless You All,

Sis. Stephanie