Piercings, tattoos, I-Pods, skateboards, chains, baggy pants, gang colors, wild hair, black makeup and nails, ripped clothes, or what about clothes LACKING coverage….OK, so this can be a turn-off for many people.

But what's UNDERNEATH or INSIDE these tough, unapproachable, scary and sometimes angry-looking EXTERIORS? If we only spoke to kids and didn't actually see them, we might be shocked by our reactions, once we DO see them. Sort of like a blind taste test they do with sodas. Well, I must confess, it happened to me.

As a mother of four adult children, there has been a steady parade of youth through our home that I thought helped me to be an open-minded judge of character. They were tall, skinny, short, round, quiet, loud, polite, rude, slobs, neat-freaks, jocks, nerds, gay, straight and more. Of course they came with their array of jewelry and clothing that ranged from conservative to absurd. I prided myself on my ability to 'see through' all that stuff and appreciate the kid. It was usually their eyes that I would focus on, for I felt deeply that their souls would be revealed there. It worked until 2004.

I got a phone call at work, and as the HCI Project Coordinator, I get to recruit kids and so they tend to email or call me to sign up. The voice on the phone was sweet, smooth, female, intelligent, thoughtful and polite. She told me she was in 8th grade. We had several conversations before meeting, and I had this vision of her set in my brain. Why I did that, I won't understand, because it wasn't something I ever did. And to this day, it hasn't happened again.

So we meet at her school to work on the upcoming event with other kids and teachers. In a room full of people, I hear her voice, turn around, and WOW, what a shock! Here was this tattooed, pierced, jewelry-laden, ripped clothes, bare-bellied, cleavage-out-there, young girl! I shuddered, swallowed, and said HI! She returned my greeting with a radiant, warm, loving and precious smile that immediately speared my heart and soul. At that instant, I realized I had made a judgment of her based on her looks, and forgotten the image I had created before seeing her.

As things turned out, this young girl was the most delightful experience for not only me, but also everyone who worked with her. We loved her deep thoughtful poetry and her passion for changing people from being critical to accepting those who are different.

This perhaps was my lesson for life- to be aware of my ability to be critical, judgmental, and unfair without a cause. I hope all of us grew from this experience.

Little did I know I was to be fortunate enough in my life, to have met an angel.