The title of this blog post comes from Rumi, one of my favorite poets.

Why am I thinking about this today?

Well, my mother-in-law passed away on Monday and this line makes me think of her.

Why?

Because while her life was not, from the outside, ‘glamorous’ or ‘fabulous’ or ‘Insta-worthy”—all the things we appear to value these days—it was, without question, beautiful.

What made it so?

A gentle kindness that softened the hearts of everyone around her, and an abiding love for her children and her family.

What did she do?

She loved her husband, created a home, and raised three thoughtful, kind, and generous children.

Is any of these things out of the ordinary?

No.

Did the beauty with which she infused them make them extraordinary?

Yes.

To me, this is her lasting gift: a reminder that the beauty in our lives is something we generate from the inside.

We create it by what we do.

For more insights from the incomparable Rumi, take a look at, “What Other People Think of You is None of Your Business.”