NOT WHAT MEETS THE EYE

Remember one of my earlier posts about eating sushi with my daughter and the Chinese waiter with broken English - Jack.  (If not, go read post entitled, "Where's Lynn?")  I met my daughter for lunch today.  We went back to where Jack works, not only for the food, but for Jack too.  He remembered us and commented on "the beautiful sisters" again, shaking both our hands and bowing slightly.  He reminded my daughter that her mother was beautiful and my smile was remarkable and that it never seemed to stop (he gets a big tip from me of course!).  He also told her to always, always love her mother.  He remembered our ages which was amazing.  Today I asked his age, "49 tomorrow, December 10th," he said.  I asked did he have children.  "One son, age 19 a college student at IU Bloomington, Indiana where my brother teaches as a nuclear physicist", he beamed with pride.  He told us how smart his younger brother was and I commented that there was no doubt that he too was very smart.  In broken English he told us that he was a teacher in China before coming here to help a friend.  He asked me what I thought he taught in China.  I had watched him carefully last time and on this particular day also noted his creativity and free spirit of life.  I said, "You taught music in China.  You are a musician."  The biggest smile broke across his face, "Yes," he said, "music is what I taught.  I play the piano and several different Chinese flutes."  Meeting Jack working as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant he wasn't what he appeared.  My eyes saw one thing, but in conversation with Jack he was not all what met my eyes.  It made me realize how easy it is to pass people off, to cast a judgement based solely on what meets the eye.  Years ago on a back alley in Los Angeles I sat down by a homeless person.  What met my eye, was despair, filth and wrong choices.  As I sat there this man began to share his background, losing his job, being without choices and ultimately money.  He was not in total despair viewing this as a temporary part of his life with hope to live differently.  He shared about finding good things in this life he was in too.  He too was not at all what met the eye.  Then I thought about myself.  How many times people might view me a certain way without really knowing anything about me.  Those that know me would most definitely say, "She's not at all what meets the eye!"  Beware:)