"Read My Lipstick"

Oh my goodness. May I please tell you about my day yesterday? It started in the hair salon, where my friend Mark & I were talking about “Get the Big Idea”. I explained the theme I’ve been wrestling with, & Mark’s eyes lit up. He proceeded to tell me that a group of women he knows have started an operation to energize women to ‘stand up & be counted in the culture war of our country’ (sounding familiar?). Their operation has a catchy name. It’s called “Read My Lipstick” (any bells ringing now?).

As it happened, I was leaving the salon to travel with my Mom to Elon University to the Sarah Palin rally (yippee!! More on that later…). Before I left, Mark handed me a small grocery bag full of small campaign-like buttons. The buttons had the name of their operation in attractive, catchy graphics & their web address in small print.

So off I go to the Rally, where I happily distribute my cache of buttons to delighted women (& even some men). Within 30 minutes, my little bag was empty. The Rally was super, as you know I’d say. (But it really was; very exciting!) When I returned home, I pulled off my button & went to the website scrolled on the bottom. “Read My Lipstick” is an organized movement, friends. I was almost astounded at what I saw. The press release on this site expresses the same theme that has been on my heart, & captures the essence of the original inspiration for “Get the Big Idea”.

I’m almost astounded that the themes are so clear & common, yet arising independently. I can still scarcely believe how yesterday’s events played out: the trip to the salon coinciding with the Rally, the buttons that ‘happened’ to be on-hand, & the crossover of themes. These seemingly serendipitous events have borne substance that feeds my spirit. It’s like the galvanizing encouragement of hearing voices floating across the wind, when you fear you’re stranded in the valley. It’s the hope that spurs your search for them, the joy of recognizing their language as your own, & the assurance that settles deep in your soul when you find that you are, indeed, not alone.

I’ll be keeping up with "Read My Lipstick" as it develops, & I invite you to do the same. Be encouraged, friends. We’re not stranded in the valley. There are voices floating across the wind. Listen.

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