Every girl wants to be beautiful. Duh. If you’re a girl, you’ve known this for as long as your memory can recall. If you’re a guy, you probably figured it out well before high school.

There’s nothing earth-shattering about this statement, and it’s a fact of life I’ve never questioned. However, there was a moment when this simple truth became crystal clear to me. It was the moment that I learned that girls don’t outgrow the wish to be beautiful.

We were at the 60th anniversary party of my husband’s grandparents. Two people committed for life – 60 years together is worth a book in itself, but the focus of today’s blog post is a simple statement that became a riveting moment.

Grandma Bonnie is sweet and musically talented and old and has had Alzheimer’s the whole time I’ve known my husband. Grandpa John faithfully takes care of her and adores her like they’re still newlyweds, and it’s very inspiring.

So there we were, family and friends from around the US to honor John and Bonnie’s 60th anniversary. Truthfully, Bonnie’s cloudy mind kept her in a state of medium-high confusion, but at least she was happy.

Then came the moment that led to this essay. A nephew of John and Bonnie, whom we affectionately call Cousin Jim, walked over to the happy couple and said,

“Bonnie, you look beautiful today.” And Bonnie, who up to that point was pleasant, but puzzled about the whole day, beamed a smile that could have lit up a cave.

Even as an old woman with a failing memory, she wanted to be beautiful.

In that moment, Bonnie didn’t know all of the guests, or the exact reason for the whole celebration, but she knew that someone had said she was beautiful. Knowing that she was beautiful delighted her. And in that moment, I knew that every girl, young or antique, wants to be beautiful.