The Language of Beauty

My mother in her twenties

My mother was widely acknowledged to be both extremely intelligent and very beautiful. It was generally agreed but always unspoken that I trailed behind her in the first category, and failed completely in the second. She was a strict parent who focused on doing things the right way. The type of person who never attempted anything unless they were certain of the outcome. Perfection was the only goal and she had little patience with people who made…