My Mom, the Real Beauty Queen

There are so many things I love about my mom, and in honor of Mother’s Day, I am going to share with you what I love most about her and give you sneak peek of what life is like having her in my corner.

I will never forget how often my mom encouraged me. She would always speak postivity over my life. As someone who dealt with bullying, I could always count on my mom to build me up when others would try so hard to tear me down. One of things I remember her saying to me the most was how beautiful I was on the outside and inside. During middle school (the season I was bullied the most), she would say “you’re so beautiful” all the time! She was always the one to say something over and over until I finally believed it. 

I remember when I was about 15 years old and, as normal, she mentioned how pretty she thought I was. I looked at her and something within me finally clicked. I responded with, “Mom, it’s because of you.” She gave me a slightly confused look and I proceeded to say. “Mom, it’s because of you being so pretty that I’m pretty. I got YOUR beauty, so thank you.” Now, I don’t share this to toot my horn on how kind I was. Honestly, I wasn’t a very “kind” teenager. My personality was (and still it at times) very bold and blunt. At 15 years old, I there were usually more harsh things than sweet things coming out of my mouth. But, this time, I was compelled to say this to her because as I looked at mom and the beauty that radiated from her, I realized that she deserves the credit. Of course she’s gorgeous, but, most importantly, her wisdom, guidance, compassion and constant encouragement in my life effected me. Her character, kindness, strength (and genes) contributed to the beautiful young lady that I was becoming. 

My mom spread kindness, encouragement and hope so easily even though our family did not have an easy life. Growing up, we had some very difficult struggles to overcome. We had things done to us and other things happen within us that caused a lot of heartache and brokenness. Through it all, I could always count on my mom to see the silver lining. She taught me to have hope in the hopeless situations, peace amidst chaos, and she always reminded me that when strength runs out, lean on the Lord because he will give me the strength I need.

She always knew the perfect thing to say. During a season in my life where I lost my relationship, my job and my way, all within a matter of months, she sent me this:

Just a simple text message,, backed with all her love and support, gave me exactly what I needed to get up and keep moving forward.

Mom,

Although we were far from each other this mother’s day, I keep you closer than ever to my heart. The distance has never silenced the voice of strength and encouragement you are in my life.

I love you,

Angelina Yarbrough

Mrs. North Dakota International 2017

Turning Moments Into Movements