This goes against the grain today,
when the meaning of “aging gracefully”
includes cosmetic surgery and injectibles.

I saw an author’s book jacket photo the
other day. She’s in her 70s and looks it.
Grey hair, untouched by chemicals.
Wrinkles, untouched by surgeon’s hands.
A face with character.
{A good writer, too.}

She was a truly beautiful woman in her youth.
Gorgeous.

Today, every wrinkle and line tells her story:
of her handsome husband and flawed marriage.
Of her accomplished children.
Of the unusual life she’s lived.

Today, she is beautiful in a different way.
But still beautiful.

In a time where so many women
don’t want to age at all,
much less gracefully,
it’s good to remember what true beauty is.

{Oh–and it’s cherry season out here.}