Nothing is skin deep

"You know when sometimes you meet someone so beautiful, and then you actually talk to them and five minutes later they're as dull as a brick? Then there's other people, when you meet them you think, "Not bad, they're okay," and then you get to know them and...and their face just sort of becomes them. Like their personality's written all over it. And they just turn into something so beautiful."

I was talking to one of the teachers at my school this morning after my Oral Exam was over. We started talking about my roommates and how we'd gotten through the first few months of living together. We spent a good 20-30 minutes talking about expectations, love languages, personality types, and communication. And right before I left I said something along the lines of, "I'm so blessed to have the roommates that I have. I've grown  to love them way more than I ever expected to."

As you get to know someone, your vision of them evolves. If I look back at memories of my roommates when I first met them 4 months ago, the people that they seem to be are entirely different.

When I saw them before, I saw them as a stranger saw them. I saw Mariah's blonde hair, positive attitude, and sweet smile. I saw Bonnie's short 5'2" body, her bubbly/giggly personality, and huge eyes. 4 months later, I see such entirely different things when I see them. Because we've gone through so much. Those girls were incredibly beautiful when I met them. But to me, they are so much more beautiful. I've seen them cry, pee their pants laughing, stuffing their faces, seen the conflicts with family members, watched them struggle with school. And, somehow more importantly, they've seen me through the same things. They've seen me get my heart broken, heard me swear(sorry girls), had to endure me talking about my boyfriend for hours on end, seen me shove 21 grapes in my mouth(multiple times).

When I look at Mariah, I still see her blonde hair, her sweet smile, her positive attitude. But now I see the reason for that attitude. I see how in love she is with the gospel. I see how devoted she is to those that she loves. I see her for a fraction of the amazing woman that she is. When I look at Bonnie, I still see her curly brown hair, huge eyes, giggles, and tiny body. But now I see the huge personality to go with that tiny body. I see what a strength she is to all those around her. I see her for the comfort I've seen her give almost anyone that's walked through our doors. I see her for her automatic acceptance and love for everyone she meets. I see a glimpse of the wonderful person she is.

I can't imagine seeing these girls any other way. They've become so incredibly beautiful to me, somehow moreso than when we first met.

I didn't mean to turn this into a roommate appreciation post. But, I seriously love my roommates. They've been there with me during my absolute darkest days. They've seen me through so much, and refrained from judging. They've wiped my tears, rolled their eyes at my lame tractor jokes, and listened patiently as I get off on HUGE tangents when I tell stories(Really. You needed to know which direction Midway is).

People are so beautiful. There is not an ugly person out there. You just have to look past the surface to see how incredibly beautiful everyone is. This is definitely something I need to work on. I see people, judge them, and then dismiss them. The last few months have definitely taught me the value of getting to know people and looking past what is blatantly obvious. I want people to give me that same chance. I don't want people to see me, think I'm not worth their time, and pass over me. If I see the beauty in others, I can begin to see the beauty in myself.

I seriously love my roommates.