“Grandpa, you don’t understand.
People stare at me.”
“Maybe they do. But their eyes don’t determine your worth.”
Then Grandpa did something I never expected. He took off his shirt. There was a large, old surgical scar across his stomach.
I’d never seen it before.
“Do you see this?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“I’ve been ashamed of my body, too. For years, I’ve avoided swimming because I thought people would stare at my scar, my aging belly, and my wrinkles.”
He gave a sad little smile.
“Can you imagine? I’m seventy-three years old, and I’m still worried about what strangers might think of me.”
For the first time that day, I laughed.
“Grandpa, but you look wonderful!”
He immediately replied:
“Then why do you believe I can look wonderful in this body, but you can’t?”
I had no answer. He stepped closer and took my hand.
