In Search of...what to say when there are no words

I've been at a loss lately to find words, which is really not a good thing when you're a writer of any kind. It started with phrases that seemed perfunctory, like "I'm so sorry about the loss of your father," or "my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family." But by the time I heard today that someone lost their teenage son, even those phrases seemed shallow and meaningless, and I began to think about exactly what thoughts and prayers I wanted to be with people going through such unimaginable pain and loss.


So for those of you keeping vigil at hospital bedsides, for those who have lost what no amount of time will ever truly heal, for those grieving and trying to go on with their lives day by day one breath at a time, I offer to hold you consciously in a sacred place where all is love, where all is peace, and where all is well and solace resides.

I ask that we all honor the memories of those who have left their earthly bodies by celebrating the sanctity of our brief and wondrous time here. I pray that each and every one of our losses serves to make us more compassionate to others, more appreciative of life's brevity and inherent beauty, and more noble in our pursuit of what truly matters to us in the scheme of eternity.

Those are the thoughts and prayers I offer up today with the belief that a loving God can comfort in ways my own words cannot.

Thanks for stopping by. Peace and Blessings to all.

In Search of...false eyelashes, red carpets, and great expectations

Okay, so it took me a while to figure out that any woman who looks beautiful in a photograph is wearing false eyelashes. I know, I'm late coming to that observation, but the thought of gluing anything that close to my eyeballs just plain grosses me out. That's why I had someone else do it - a professional makeup artist.

But it doesn't end there, my friends. You are never going to achieve anything close to what one would call glamour in flats. And so must begin the suffering known as high heels. Every woman looks better in heels. Truly. And in a troubled economy, the least we could all do is keep the orthopedists and chiropractors in business.

Add to the equation the multitude of things designed to suck you in and hoist you up, and you've got your red carpet-ready appearance. Sure it's agony, but who said beauty didn't equal pain?

All this suffering had to be endured because my frequent co-writer, Sue Fabisch, and I wrote a song that won a big contest! I'd like to point out that we wrote the winning song in our sweats...on a couch in my apartment...with snacks...that we would later come to regret as we purchased Spanx. Ah, the irony.

Was it worth it? Sure. My back has only hurt for a week now, and the ibuprofen ruins your liver only after far more extended use than that. So I think I'm good.

Was the red carpet everything that I'd hoped it would be? Well, I'll ignore the fact that not a single soul really cares what color carpet I stroll down, and say that, for a moment, I had to be satisfied knowing I was standing in the exact spot that Fergie stood moments earlier. Plus the videographer told me I looked beautiful. So take that, Natasha Bedingfield!

Below is the pictorial proof that my suffering was not in vain. I know, you're welcome for these free beauty tips. Please tell your friends.


    Ilene Angel & Sue Fabisch on the red carpet