WhEn DiD yOu FeEL mOsT BeAuTiFuL?

"I don't believe makeup and the right hairstyle alone can make a woman beautiful. The most radiant woman in the room is the one full of life and experience." - SHARON STONE

As I think back over my life to the times when I felt most beautiful, I have, and I was surprised to discover that my real moments of beauty resulted from something more powerful than just the combination of the right hairstyle, makeup and clothing.
The time I felt most beautiful was on my wedding day. But on the day I got married, I couldn't get my tired eyes to look fresh!... the result of the usually-stressful wedding preps that grabbed hours away from my slumber! But the glow within made me more radiant because the day was meant for me... for a new life with the man I would love to share my life with. What must I worry with the red yes? It was an accent to my beaded lavender gown! When my friends see my wedding pictures now, they don't comment on the red eyes; instead, they mention the jubilant happiness on my face. Red is Love anyway, right?
It wasn't an expensive celebrity-like affair but the "making-it-happen-smoothly" thing dominated the concern. It was my wedding so I would love to put my hands on it. We made it happen as planned. AS PLANNED? Wedding reception without the wedding cake? hahahaha! There was the cage for the dove ceremony but where have the doves gone? The birds flew earlier for their own honeymooooon! The cake and the doves were not delivered. Know why? T'was a hurricaney Tuesday afternoon! Classes were suspended, bridges collapsed, landslides in Leyte, traffic detours... WoW! But the wedding ended up to be a very private Family Affair. Despite those twists, I had my composure intact. I remained positive. Smiles amidst those mishaps remained bright. It was my day and I believed God was creating a sunshine after those HEAVY RAINS! I was absolutely right. He saved a Great Gift for me and my husband months later.
Here's the secret I stumbled upon when trying to solve the beauty puzzle. The situations in my life in which I felt beautiful were all different, but Love was the common denominator that transformed me, not the outer trappings.