Friday, March 02, 2007

The Way I See It # 83: A Woman's Truth

The Oregonian had a front page story this week (February 28, 2007) that featured the wisdom of a 38-year old woman -- Tiana Tozer -- who wrote the following words in response to how people look at her in her wheelchair.

The Way I See It # 83

They told you that beauty is in the
eye of the beholder. What they
failed to tell you is that it is best
seen with the eyes closed. What
you look like isn't important. What
is important is who you are inside
and the choices you are making in
your life.

Her words appear on the side of a Starbucks coffee cup! Tom Hallman Jr., the reporter who wrote the story about Tiana began the article by saying, "A girl raised in a culture that idolizes Britney, Paris and Lindsay wouldn't understand the quote. Sure, it's a bit cliche, a cousin to an old chestnut that everyone spouts but few girls believe. But if a girl's lucky, a woman will explain the truth behind the 51 words on the side of the cardboard coffee cup."

Great message. Great story (sorry I couldn't find a link to it for you). What it says to me about life legacies is summed up in Tiana's truth -- "what is important is who you are inside and the choices you are making in your life." I hope that is a message that my granddaughter, grandson, and sons will take into their hearts ... and live throughout their lives.


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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great post.

I am an advocate of women and deeply care for the two in my life, one my wife of 21 years and daughter who is 16. There are so many mixed messages and downright WRONG messages in our world, shoved at us daily through the media. We need to guard our girls from this barrage, not by locking them in their room, but by offering them solid relationship, many discussions, and real role models. We need to help them embrace their womanhood, but more importantly, bolster their self-esteem as someone with value way beyond their looks, possessions, and peers.

As we teach our daugthers and sons to go past the superficial, they can discover spirituality, intellect, imagination, character, integrity, and all the other good fruits on the tree. Don't let them stop and settle for the television or movie screen version. Don't let them!