Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
May 8, 2002
A mother's reflection: the beauty within
Even on bad hair days, God recognizes our inner beauty
It was one of those feeling fat and frumpy kind of Mondays. Typical for the Midwest, our spring weather had changed from snowstorms and subzero temps to scorching heat in a matter of days. The record-breaking temperature of 91 sent me scrambling to find my shorts before I left for my son's eye doctor appointment.
As I tried to cram my pasty white legs into last year's shorts, I wondered how my clothes could shrink just sitting in a box. Then my wall of denial crumbled: my shorts hadn't shrunk — I had expanded. Disgusted, I threw my jeans back on, picked up my son at school and drove him to the clinic. Since the doctor's office hadn't been able to switch from heat to air-conditioning overnight, the waiting room was a virtual sauna. During my son's appointment my hair fell flat and my makeup dripped off my face into a puddle of sweat. I was a mess.
Right after his appointment, we drove to the vision center to order his new lenses. Even though I looked like the wicked witch of the West (I'm melting!) the man who worked with us was friendly, helpful and generous. He discounted the price of the lenses and threw in a free pair of sunglasses to boot. As we drove home my 10-year-old son Tyler asked, "Mom, why did that man give us such a good deal on my glasses?" I said, "I'm not sure honey, maybe they were having a sale or something." He paused a moment then grinned. "I think he gave us a deal because he had a crush on you." Considering my appearance I had to laugh. I doubted my son's theory but decided to play along. "Do you really think so?" I asked. Tyler glanced over at me with a serious look and stated emphatically, "Mom, you still have the beauty within you."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. God was speaking to me through my son, showing me there was more than one way to be radiant. When it comes to beauty, our society places such a heavy emphasis on external, physical factors, especially for women. It feels like a crazy game with magazines and ads dictating how to increase our personal attractiveness score: lose weight, color hair, whiten teeth, collagen injections, liposuction — even plastic surgery! It's scary how we let wrinkles and weight determine our self worth.
But God sees beyond the superficial and recognizes the beauty within each of us. We each carry a spark of the divine that radiates a brilliance that shines brighter than physical looks. This week, look beyond your skin and past the scale and try to see the wonderful, unique soul that God created, loves and cherishes. This much I know is true: no matter how tight your shorts are, "you still have the beauty within you!
"Exuberance is beauty."
— William Blake
"Wrinkles are laugh lines with attitude."
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