Don't be a knock-off

Coach...you will find many authentic Coach and other famously named handbags under glass at Macy's. But Coach seems to be the "it" bag amongst a wide range of people. This popularity has caused a flood of knock-offs to hit the market.

I thought I could be "all that" if I carried an "it" bag too. So, a few years ago I attended one of those hush hush purse parties. I bought a bag and thought to myself..."I can fool the world with the look a-like and pinch a penny!"

I carried my new bag for a short while. I didn't care that scratches, tears and stains quickly turned my "status" bag into what it really was...cheap junk...and I tossed it.

Then a new style of bag caught my eye. The whimisical fabric and trademark diamond quilting of Vera Bradley has taken me in. The perfect union of practical design and fashion forward colors has me wishing for a new bag every season. All my Vera bags mean something to me. My recent splurge for my newest Vera will be properly cared for like the others.

The ah-ha moment came recently when I was looking thru an old check book register and found the entry for the purse party. I paid more for my knock-off "status" bag than I did for my latest Vera. So I had to ask myself...why didn't I take better care of that purse? It's because I knew it was a FAKE.

Is there a moral to this story?

Trying to be or do what everyone else in the world is doing can cause us to become dented, scratched, torn or even soiled. We trap ourselves into thinking life is cheap and we lose faith...we become a FAKE.

Look inside your heart and remember that you have a divine whimisical pattern to share with this world. Have faith, care for your soul and do your best to keep it clean. And when we try to be our best...the Savior in His mercy, will stitch up those tears and erase the stains.





Don't be a knock off...be genuine. Be a vera....