day 3:

"who is someone you know that inspires beauty?"


this may be a typical answer... but my mom - hands down - inspires beauty.

i think all little girls find beauty in their mothers. when i was little, i'd watch my mom from below her chin, studying her jaw and the way her mouth formed words. and i remember thinking she smelled more lovely than anyone else in the world. for a few years in a row she made us matching christmas dresses, complete with matching shoes, and i felt like the coolest, most sophisticated girl ever.

if i were to say that my faith was a flame ignited by the Lord very early in my childhood, my mother was the one who kindled it, kept it fed. she taught me how to pray, and answered my questions the best she could. she was patient, and kind, and gentle. she pushed me to do the right thing, and listened to me blubber and sob when i didn't. (in fact, she still does that... she did just yesterday :) )

i feel proud when i look in the mirror and find traces of her in my face. and even though i roll my eyes when words come out of my mouth that i swear by all things are not my own, but are actually my mom's, i revel in the fact that i truly am my mother's daughter.

but my mom isn't defined just by who she is to me. she is one of the most driven, hard working, compassionate people i know. take her work, for example. she has an extremely demanding job, but she loves it because she's helping kids. and my mom is humble. she started something called a "math lab" after school, as well as a reading program. she headed all of this up and it's been extremely successful. and i had no idea! instead of coming home and telling me about all of the great and incredible things she's doing for her kids, she tells me about how well one of her students is doing or about how she's stressed because she wants so badly to help one of the kids with their home life.

she is a wife and a mom and a sister and a daughter and my cat's favorite headrest and a student and a teacher and a leader and a nature-lover and she's intuitive and positive and supportive and real and she is a child of the one true God.

my mom is beautiful.