I had a moment today that’s still sitting heavy on my heart.

It happened outside the post office. I was walking in when I noticed a woman in the parking lot asking for money. Her clothes were in rough shape — torn, worn thin by time and weather. Honestly, she was barely covered, and I could tell she wasn’t just in need, but possibly in pain too.

She saw me and softly asked, “Could you spare some money?”

I didn’t have any cash on me, so I gently replied, “I’m sorry, but would you like me to get you a new shirt from the dollar store next door?”

She paused.

Then, with tears in her voice and pain etched into her expression, she said something I’ll never forget:

“What’s the point of trying to look beautiful when I’m so ugly?”

Those words shattered me.

In that moment, I didn’t see someone “ugly.” I saw a human being carrying more than her share of burdens. I saw someone whose spirit had been so worn down by life that she didn’t even feel worthy of dignity, let alone beauty.

I looked her in the eye and said quietly,

“Beauty, like people, is not just one thing.”

Because it’s true.
Beauty isn’t a flawless face or perfect skin. It’s not how expensive your clothes are or whether you’ve had a shower today. Beauty is kindness. It’s survival. It’s strength. It’s being here — even when life has given you every reason not to be.

Yes, I got her a shirt. And some water. And antibiotic ointment and bandaids. But that’s not really what this story is about.

This is about how no one should ever feel like they don’t deserve to feel beautiful.

Not because of poverty.
Not because of scars.
Not because they’ve been forgotten or pushed to the edge of society.

There is beauty in every person — even if the world has been too busy or too cruel to see it. I hope, in some small way, that she felt a little bit of that today. I hope she walked away not just with a new shirt, but with a small seed of self-worth planted somewhere inside.

And I hope you feel it too.
Wherever you are, whatever you’re carrying — please know that there is still beauty inside of you.

Always.