i judged her. yes. and i really felt no shame.

saturday night brad and i went to a show at the exit inn here in nashville, it was a cool, eclectic crowd with plenty of people in coats and scarfs to die for and just a good mix of people.  early in the evening, i noticed a girl walking out of the bathroom with hair that was too long and not fixed.  her skirt was too short and too washed out denim.  no tights and over the knee boots that were just bad.  her shirt looked like she might had gotten it at a yard sale and not in a cool "oh yeah, this old thing?  i picked it up at a yard sale" cool, but a "i thought this shirt was awesome and i missed the mark" kinda look.  and a sweater, equally as bad.

i judged her.  yes.  and i really felt no shame.
i felt justified.
her outfit was bad.
her boots were worse.
her skirt.  well.

then the heel of her already bad boots broke so she walked with a limp just to keep the boots on her foot and the look of the boot still in place.  and then, of course, she chose me to stand in front of in an already crowded room.  i was annoyed.  with her outfit and more so with the boots.  that had broken.  every time she had to take a step, she would reach out and hold onto her what i assume was her husband so she didn't fall.

i judged her.  yes.  and i really felt no shame.

and as the night continued and i focused on kathleen edwards as she sang, every so often when she would limp to readjust her boot, she would hit me and of course i was distracted again by the girl in the bad outfit in the bad boots.

then kathleen edwards started singing a song with the following lyrics:

You don't talk to me
Not the way that you used to
Maybe I don't deserve
In a way that makes you think I do
I've been wondering
About what we're gonna do
A house full of empty rooms

You don't kiss me,
Not the way that I wish you would
Maybe I don't look at you
In a way that makes you think you should
Still I've been thinking about how it's gonna be
Years are giving [?]

And I'm far from perfect
I'm far from anything but I swear that when we started
I used to make you happy
But I don't know you
Not the way that I thought I did
Maybe you don't know me
And you don't wanna be the first to say
I've been wondering about what we're gonna do
And I've been wondering about what we're gonna do
A house full of empty rooms
A house full of empty rooms


and as she sang, i noticed the girl in the bad clothes with the bad hair crying.  wiping a tear from her eye after each painful line about a lonely and hard home.  leaning on her husband because her boot wouldn't allow her to stand upright.  but not wanting him to see.  but i saw the tears and the hand with the pretty polish that was wiping away tear after tear after tear.


and my heart was saddened.  and my heart was convicted.


and when i reached up to take a picture of kathleen edwards sing as she really felt the song, my arm accidentally brushed her shoulder and she turned to me and looked me in the eyes for a split second and smiled.  and what i saw in return was a girl with a beautiful, gorgeous face smiling back at me.  and as i smiled back at her, i was reminded not only was her face beautiful but her heart was much more beautiful than mine.

 be kind to one another.  

you never know what a person is going through.

and who cares what they have on.

doesn't matter at all.

i already knew that.

and saturday night i was reminded.