The Eyes of Beauty

What is beauty? Where does it come from? Some say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some see beauty as a physical attribute. Young and old alike yearn to be like the starlets they see on television. Hollywood is based around the glamour and beauty of the actresses that grace our screens. It took many years for me to determine what true beauty was. The beauty that is real lies within and it’s something we must accept before anyone else in our lives can.

I’d like to share what led to my decision that beauty is what you see in a person’s eyes, rather than their outward appearance. Let me start by telling you about a young woman I know. She grew up in a small town with big dreams. The darkness that hovered over her was something most thought would never leave. Some were afraid to even be near her because of the negative events that she was constantly caught up in. This poor, young girl. She faced mental abuse at an early age. There was taunting from family members, being called fat and, at times, she was even “oinked” at. It was all more than most could handle.

This led to anorexia by the time she was in 9th grade. Her health was jeopardized. She quickly went from 110 to 80 lbs in a short period of time. To make matters worse the children at school constantly made fun of the disease that consumed her. She did everything she could to fit in. By the age of 18, her senior year of high school, this young woman was raped by her boyfriend. The dreams of saving herself for marriage quickly went out the door. The trust she had for others diminished from her being.

She lived in a state of solitude. Something many face today. At 19, she met a guy and quickly became engaged. Shortly after, she became pregnant. Just three months into the pregnancy, her son’s heart stopped beating. Again, she felt tremendous grief and loss.  A year later, she suffered a stroke; heart problems caused by the disease that had taken over her body. And just years before, during all of this heartache, she still held a secret.