"I'm not beautiful."

My mother would probably say that.

I guess it's true she lacks some of the graces of feminine beauty that this culture values. But none of that really matters because when I look at her, I see a powerful woman that kicks ass and will not back down when she sees something she believes in being violated.

Nobody knows that more than my brother, who's studying for the Air Force right now. He's had endless arguments with her, and he thinks part of the reason he's gone is because of that.

It's... just not really true.

My mom's a warrior and an inspiration. Perhaps, someday, I can pick up on that, and stop saying about myself, "I'm not beautiful". Okay, maybe I won't go that far, but I'm certainly done believing people that say I'm ugly.