I feel most beautiful when
I have both arms strapped
with heavy groceries,
walking up the stairs to stock my kitchen
and keep my family fed.

When small talk with a stranger
brings us both to laughter,
surely brightening each other’s day.

When I take off my makeup before bed time,
revealing bright bare eyes and all of the small moles
God painted onto my face.

When I hold my sleeping baby safely in my arms,
as she melts against my skin,
warming a smile across my lips.

When my husband runs his fingers gently
through my worn locks of deep brown hair,
carefully untangling the inevitable knots from my long day.          

I feel most beautiful
in the raw and natural moments
that fill each day,
for without those,
would life hold any true beauty?