What does one wear

[SeekingHisPlan]

I am over here laughing my head off about all the cautions regarding makeup and modesty! You can't know this about me, of course, but most days I don't wear a spot of makeup. When I do, it's usually just a light lip gloss. No makeup is the rule rather than the exception for me. I just can't be bothered with it, really.

As for modesty, I think I have stricter standards for myself than my Mom sets for my 13 year old sister! I own a grand total of two skirts shorter than calf length, and even those will pass the old "schoolgirl's kilt" test easily. (Kneel on the floor, they should touch it.) A while ago, got rid of three of my formerly favorite pairs of shorts because I felt they were immodest. (Decent, but not modest). My rule for pants that show underwear is that they must be worn with a shirt long enough to cover said underwear. Modesty is one of those things that, at this stage in my faith life and discernment process, it's simply a given. Sunday, I went to Mass covered from collarbone to shoe-tops and shoulders to wrists and I realized that I [i]prefer[/i] to be dressed like that now!

As for what I should have worn for the retreat, the bottom line is to figure out you need to know this in time to ASK! I brought several ankle-length skirts, a few nice three-quarter sleeved tops, one pair of nice pants and sleepwear. When I arrived on Wednesday, all the other retreatants were in jeans and ratty tee shirts and were covered in dirt. They'd been gardening. I'm sort of glad I missed it. For the rest of the week, I was the only layperson who didn't change into pants/jeans after Holy Mass. My pants got filthy because I had to wear them every time I went outside in order to keep from being devoured by bugs. I didn't really mind any of this, but I'll know for next time I visit those sisters. I'd rather have been too dressed up than too dressed down, so I didn't get too excited.

Edited June 6, 2006 by SeekingHisPlan

[brandelynmarie]

*Head swiveling from side to side*....Wow, I never thought about this in detail before...No makeup...check! (except lip gloss) No jeans...check! Modest skirts & tops...maybe dress pants...I was wearing jeans & I had on make-up & a v-neck top when I visited one monastery...Whoops! I'm not saying it was a bad thing...but perhaps not the most appropriate thing I've done!