Transforming Ugliness into...

You may go ahead and laugh if you want to, but I am posting this photo of my (homely) feet for a reason.

My feet have never been my finest features. The toes are small and each one has a funny shape. However, they hold my body up quite well and have never given me any trouble, so I am thankful for them and all of the work they do every day.

When at a spa, it is nice (if you would like to thank your feet) to be able to have a pedicure. Mom and I both needed this service, and we enjoyed sitting side by side, with our feet receiving wonderful treatment: soaking, massage, being scrubbed, filed, smoothed, slathered in lotion, and having the nails shaped and polished.

My left foot has a few toenails that are especially homely. Enough said. The lovely lady who was my pedicurist used to be a nurse. A NURSE! (If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I love nurses, because of the care that they gave to Katie and to our family.) We talked about nursing, and I shared some of our story with her. She shed some tears, and then I listened as she told the story of why she quit nursing. We had alot more than my feet between us.

She was the perfect person to deal with my feet, and she did it expertly and kindly. She fixed my very ugliest nail, and told me how to care for its "issues."

I had selected a strong color of polish. After she prepared my toes, I asked if we should switch to a more neutral color, since that one toe was not a pretty sight. No way, she said: we do not hide our imperfections; we will decorate it, and make it a focal point. She then polished my toenails, and on the ugliest big one, she painted a lovely hibiscus blossom, trimmed it with silver, and put a rhinestone in the middle of it! Katie would have LOVED it. That is one great example of transformation. It was also transformative to listen and share stories with a person who has chosen to serve life by literally washing the feet of others.

The lady who gave me a massage at the spa is a refugee who survived the war in Bosnia, and escaped with her family. Her stories are more examples of transforming ugliness into beauty. Her youngest son had just graduated from college in California. She and her husband were able to come to this country, work hard, and put their children through school. In less than one generation, from seeing and living with atrocities, to freedom and education for your children. That is beautiful.