An Ode to Beauty

     

  When I look at you I see grace. 

          I see your beautiful face pre-ALS diagnosis. 

          I see passion and a fierce desire to fight. 

          I see a beauty that exudes compassion. 

          I see a lady destined for greatness 

          I see a Mom who has spent years empowering her children. 

          I see a Nana that puts love into action. 

When I look at you I see a radiance of beauty despite the paralysis and physical changes that ALS has brought. I see a Queen with a crown full of jewels. 

I look at you and think there is no greater beauty than you right now in this moment. 

          You are more than ALS.

          You are more than a timetable.

          You are more than a paralyzed face. 

          You are beautiful. 

Your physical beauty is and always has been just one piece of the incredible masterpiece that your life is.

I don't think I will ever understand humanity and the way that our society calculates beauty. To categorize and quantify beauty based solely on physical appearance greatly limits the art of the creator. 

As I have watched people question the physical changes that ALS has brought upon my mom I can't help but pity their naivety. To limit themselves to the outer appearance of my mom's beauty is childish. Those who have come to put a label on her are missing out on the depths and layers of beauty that she so effortlessly exudes. 

For all of you in the midst of this horrible disease of ALS- I pray that you will always know that you are beautiful. ALS may steal a great deal from you but it can never steal the beauty that is so intricately woven within your soul.