APPEARANCES MEAN NOTHING:Inspirational stories, motivational stories, poems, and thoughts from Motivating Moments

APPEARANCES MEAN NOTHING

August 2, 1999

I often look at your page, it helps me to remember that there are some pretty wonderful people out there.

I'd like to share a story that has happened to me....

I am now a woman of 30. This story occurred when I was 14 or 15. Every day for the longest time I saw a woman wandering around my home town. What made this woman so remarkable was that her wander was more of a limp.

My first impression of her was to check for a lump in her back. She looked like a cross between the hunch back of Notre Dame and Igor, Dr. Frankenstein's helper.

She dragged a leg, her arms and hands were narled and couldn't move very well. I would see her walking everywhere. The newspaper did a story on her, but I was still wary.

Then, one day I had a fight with my mother and ran to my favorite hiding place. This was a little lake near a retirement center. Who did I spot walking? My narled lady. I took a deep breath and approached her. Well, imagine my surprise when I discovered that she was an ordinary person with a really bad case of arthritis. She walked to stay limber.

The amazing thing was and still is, she listened to the woes of a 14-year-old teenager. I shared my difficulties about my relationship with my mother. I walked with her and she listened to me. I in turn, listened to her and her problems with her adult children.

I don't know if this kind lady is still alive, but she gave me an hour of time that I will never forget. She also helped me to learn that appearances mean nothing.