For attractive lips,
Speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes,
Seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure,
Share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair,
Let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise,
Walk with the knowledge that you'll never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed,
revived, reclaimed and redeemed,
Never throw out anybody.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand,
You'll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands;
One for helping yourself,
The other for helping others.
***
Sam Levenson
NOTE: This poem was one of Audrey Hepburn's favorites and has been erroneously attributed to her. It was read by Miss Hepburn to her sons, Sean and Luca on Christmas Eve, 1992 and also on occasion when she was asked for beauty tips.
I've been invited to help present an evening of Inner Beauty to a group of Young Women (girls 12 to 18) in a neighboring ward (LDS congregation.) I have 5 minutes to shed some light on the second line about lovely eyes. I take these things very seriously and always get so nervous. I finished my preparations early this morning and thought I'd share this poem with you because thinking about it and the theme of inner beauty has caused me to think about our children and especially our teenagers. As they head back to school and face the peer pressure and popularity contest that is an ever present thing in their classrooms and hallways, I think we should remind them that it is what is on the inside that matters and that what is on the inside will be seen in their eyes!
I absolutely believe that our eyes are our most important feature. Beautiful lips, shiny hair, a svelte body and all the poise in the world cannot make up for empty, sad or shifty eyes. Eyes are the windows to the soul.
My message (in short) will be that there is a difference between seeing and seeking and that they very best way to seek the best in others is to seek the light of Christ in our lives.
I love this quote that I found:
"A sacred light comes to our eyes and countenances when we have
a personal bond with our loving Heavenly Father and His Son."
James E. Faust