Here at CV Skinlabs, we wish all the moms out there a very Happy Mother’s Day!
It is with a heavy heart that I welcome these holidays this year. My beautiful mother departed this life last month. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to spend the day with her, but I will honor her memory and the great impact she had on my life.
My mother was full of grace, beauty and kindness. She touched everyone with her kindness and was a pillar of strength to our family and community.
Because of my mom, you see, I do what I do today. She inspired me to live a life of purpose and established the concept of holistic wellness early on.
This Mother’s Day, I remember my mom’s care and concern for others
My mother was a self-taught naturalist. It showed me the many ways nature and science can work together to provide wellness. Because of her, I am intrinsically interested in wellness in general and how nature’s gifts and a holistic approach (to health, beauty, wellness) can help us feel and look our best.
My mother, through her amazing example, also showed me the beauty in offering care and concern for others. After raising four children, she became a practicing RN and eventually a hospice care nurse, following in the footsteps of her mother and other family members in health and medicine.
She was dedicated to caring for terminally ill patients with the kindness, patience and empathy that came so naturally to her. I remember watching her go to work and wondering what made her want to serve those who so needed extra care.
It was perhaps, aside from her children, her proudest achievement. She knew that creating positive experiences and contributing to the well-being of others would enrich her life as well.
My mom inspired me to influence others
Most of us have experienced being in a hospital or accompanying a loved one to a hospital and know how much of a difference a nurse can make. A smile, a thoughtful gesture, kind and comforting words, or even carefully following the doctor’s instructions can help a patient recover faster or at least be more comfortable while undergoing treatment.
After seeing her dedicate so much of her life to caring for her patients, it was only natural for me to want to impact others as well. I initially thought that my interest in the beauty industry differed from hers in the medical field. But today, with all I’ve learned, I realize the two aren’t so different after all.
A Mother’s Day Tribute: My mom had beautiful skin
Our overall health and well-being affects the condition and appearance of our skin. This message has come to me many times in my life.
First, my mom always talked about how she saw her patients struggle with uncomfortable skin issues. She has helped her patients deal with discolored, dull, dry, flaky, red, burning, irritated or worse skin from treatment, medication or skin breakdown.
I realized that the skin is like a bulletin board when it comes to our internal health. If it looks bright and vibrant, you can bet the person is just as vibrant in their health and wellness. But if the skin is problematic, you can imagine that something may be wrong with the body and/or mind as well. The skin reflects everything, like a huge mirror.
My mother always had healthy beautiful skin and her natural glow shone through.
Even at the end of her life, several of the hospice nurses commented on how beautiful her skin was. One of the nurses asked if Mom ever wore makeup. The answer was “no”. He never did. She spent most of her time out in the sun and had a very simple skincare routine involving only very few products.
Happy Mother’s Day: A minimalist skincare routine has many benefits
It makes me laugh today to think about why, after all these years of accumulating more and more beauty products, the trend now is towards minimalism. We realize the wisdom of choosing just a few natural, safe products that can multitask in our skin care routine. It makes our daily skin care routine easier, but also simplifies our life in so many ways.
We can spend less money on products, have fewer bottles and jars filling up our cupboards and overall, feel lighter and easier while enjoying healthy and glowing skin.
My mom’s choices were simple. She taught me that beauty is not about anti-aging. It’s about healthy skin that in turn shines with radiance and a philosophy that embodies the whole person, including body, mind and spirit. She showed me how to use a holistic approach and how to honor your whole person with care so that your natural glow shines through. Hers certainly did!
It was the perfect example of living like the people in the blue belts. She unknowingly embodied holistic health and beauty practices, emphasizing natural ingredients, eating unprocessed foods, staying active, and sharing a loving and purposeful life.
In a sad twist of fate, her final demise was caused by an unfortunate fall. Otherwise, she was incredibly healthy and active and enjoyed a full, rewarding life.
Happy Mother’s Day: Don’t forget to enjoy what you do!
As I think about my mom, I can’t help but remember one of the things she believed about life: If you’re happy doing what you’re doing, you’ll be successful. She instilled in me a strong sense of integrity, courage, faith, kindness and a good work ethic and always encouraged me to be true to my values.
Being happy was something my mom taught me was important in life. It’s not all money and success and accolades from the outside world. It’s about doing things that make you feel good about yourself.
Following in my mom’s footsteps, my compassion for people is indeed what drives and motivates me today. When I’m doing what I’m passionate about – helping people look and feel better with products I feel good about, supporting a cleaner world, helping others make better wellness choices and supporting cancer research – my life is rich and purposeful.
Today, I get that warm feeling when a customer tells me how one of our CV Skinlabs products soothed a rash or helped heal a wound. When nurses tell me how our products are the only ones their patients can use because they are so gentle. Or when I get to introduce someone to our clean formulas that I know will work well even on their sensitive skin.
I miss my mom so much and Mother’s Day is going to be hard this year. But I am so grateful to you, our customers at CV Skinlabs, for helping me fulfill my purpose in life. I wish you all a wonderful day full of beautiful memories. I know I will cherish every single one I made with my mom, imagining her somewhere out there sending her love and care my way.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Featured image by George Dolgikh via Pexels.