Mary

I remember a story of my mother from when she was still very young:

All that she went through was totally unexpected, but she was the perfect girl for it, and it won her the greatest honor by so many all around her. She was so young, and so kind, and beautiful in every way (I don't have pictures, but everyone says so). It was back before America, back in a kingdom, and the king sent someone down to talk to her; although she was quite young, she was strong enough for what he asked her, and he knew it, too. He could see in her a strength that had come from those years of her childhood, spent in service to him. Now it was her turn to go to him. They were espoused, and she bore a son, and this son grew to save the human race. And he honored his mother and named her the queen, and all future generations, seeing him as their brother, likewise honored her, and loved her, and still today call her mother.

And she is the model of a woman; the most beautiful one I can imagine and the most kind one I know. She knew that it was not strength of arm or power or wealth that gave her importance as a woman. No, rather, it was something so much deeper. She wasn't caught up in what those around her thought, who lacked wisdom and were lured by glamour. No, rather, she recognized one opinion that mattered, and that was not opinion but truth, and perfect wisdom. And she followed it with love. And she is forever loved for that.