My mother was drop-dead gorgeous when she was younger - face, figure, hair, she had the whole package. She put a lot of stock into her looks, and her beauty rewarded her in many ways. She was also violently abusive to her children, who were never good enough for her.

Now she is 83 and is the most nasty, angry, bitter person you have ever met. When she lost her looks, she was left with nothing. I learned long ago that outside beauty is meaningless. Actions are what come through, and are what real beauty is about.

I'm not sure why your post prompted me to write about that.