Personal affection and love make someone glow in my eyes. My mother, once quite beautiful physically, now is beautiful again when she is in the here and now. Some say that, as we age, the inner person comes out. Is it our perception filtered through the lense of our feelings or the inner light we all carry that shines more brightly in some? I think both are true.

Paradise Regained: This is soooooo true! It proves that beauty comes from the inside, don't you think? We are intially attracted to the outside, but that only matters for a short moment. As we get older we have learned from experiences that the outer beauty means little in the long run compared to the inner beauty. I work with teenagers and it is funny to listen to and watch since most of them are at the level of "looks are all that matter". If a guy is "cute" the girl wants him.....doesn't matter if he is failing everything, or has a bad reputation. Now we know better....the prince isn't always charming. As for women, I have seen so many that are not so attractive at first, but the way they speak, carry themselves, and treat others can make them gorgeous.

"My nose is Gargantuan! You little Pig-snout, you tiny Monkey-Nostrils, you virtually invisible Pekinese-Puss, don't you realize that a nose like mine is both scepter and orb, a monument to me superiority? A great nose is the banner of a great man, a generous heart, a towering spirit, an expansive soul--such as I unmistakably am, and such as you dare not to dream of being, with your bilious weasel's eyes and no nose to keep them apart! With your face as lacking in all distinction--as lacking, I say, in interest, as lacking in pride, in imagination, in honesty, in lyricism--in a word, as lacking in nose as that other offensively bland expanse at the opposite end of your cringing spine--which I now remove from my sight by stringent application of my boot!"

- Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, Act 1

I have noticed this. There may be physical attributes that are not what one may consider attractive. When they are part of the whole package, body, mind and sprit, they become part of the thousands of little parts that make that entire beautiful package.

I had a date with a woman. She was getting in the car and the light showed at such an angle that it enhanced every line in her face. Instead of age lines, I saw every line of experience and wisdom in her life. Each one leading to the beautiful package she is today.

This is a good opportunity to say farewell to a dear friend. I had a friend, in fact my best friend's wife, who died very suddenly recently. She was loved by all who knew her. She was not a physically attractive woman in the classic sense, but she was one of the most beautiful souls that it has been my pleasure to have met in this life. I miss her. Beauty is, truly in the eyes of the beholder.

I can definitely relate. I managed a little restaurant a few years ago and I had this huge crush on a man whom I found extremely attractive. One of the girls who worked in the front was about 18-19 I think. This guy was 50 something, the more I watched this guy attempt to get this young girl to go out with him so he could get into her pants the less attractive he became daily. It was sad actually.

Oh! This is my favorite story/book. I love "Cyrano de Bergerac". Isn't a great story?