The Unappreciated Beauty

A story about Victoria, the unloved vase – who learns that beauty is in the

eye of the beholder.

Spirited Lady Living www.spirited-lady-living.com

Mary and Tom Turner owned a house in California. Because of the beautiful

weather throughout the year, Mary would pick several bouquets of flowers

each week and scatter them throughout her home.

Mary owned seven vases, but she only used six to hold her flowers. The seventh

vase was named Victoria. Victoria was a beautiful, ceramic vase with hand-

painted flowers. The Turners didn’t appreciate Victoria’s beauty because her

design was too antiquated for their modern style. So, off into the guest room

closet she went.

For months, Victoria would make her way into the kitchen and plop herself onto

the center of the island in hopes that Mary would allow her to hold flowers.

Yet, the years flew by and she never got her chance; she was simply put right

back into the guest room closet.

One morning, Victoria overheard Mary and Tom talking about their daughter’s

wedding.

“Tom, how do you feel about us leaving the house to Elizabeth as her wedding

present? We’ve always wanted to live full-time in our vacation house in the

Dominican Republic anyways. Now’s the time to take the plunge!” Mary said

with anticipation.

“I think that’s a great idea. But the wedding is in just four weeks!” replied Tom.

“I say we just leave the house as is. We’ll leave the furniture, décor, pots, pans

and all!” said Mary, giggling as she sipped her coffee.

“Let’s give it a go! Get Ellie downstairs to see how she feels about this,” Tom said

as he turned the page of his newspaper and took a bite of his bagel.

The Unappreciated Beauty

Short Story

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At that point, Elizabeth was still living at home with her parents, as was her

fiancé Jeff, so when they found out that her parents offered the house as their

gift, Elizabeth and Jeff were both shocked and elated!

Soon after, Elizabeth returned from her honeymoon. Her parents had left for

their new home weeks ago, so Elizabeth and Jeff got busy rearranging the

home to their liking. Eventually Elizabeth made her way into the guest room and

found Victoria.

Elizabeth was in love! She had never seen such a well-crafted beautiful vase.

Elizabeth picked a breathtaking bunch of yellow flowers and filled Victoria with

the lavish natural beauty.

She placed Victoria atop the center of the kitchen island, and that’s where

Victoria victoriously remained, untouched, as the star of the show.

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Moral of the story: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sooner or later, someone who appreciates your beautiful traits will come along.

Spirited Lady Living www.spirited-lady-living.com

The Unappreciated Beauty Victoria was such a beautiful vase, but for years, no one appreciated her

beauty. At first, she fought to get the attention she deserved. Nevertheless, after

dozens of unsuccessful attempts, Victoria accepted her fate as the

unappreciated beauty.

However, fate had other plans for Victoria. Elizabeth came along and saved

Victoria from her darkness and gave her the attention she deserved. To

Elizabeth, Victoria was the star of the show; no other vase could compare.

Everyone has times when they feel unappreciated. If you allow it, this feeling

can bring your mood and self-confidence down to the floor. However, if you

have confidence in yourself, the opinions of others will simply roll off your back.

The opinion you have of yourself is the only one that matters. It is possible to lead a lively and abundant life without the approval of others. After all, what do

they know? They’re all just in the same circle you are at this moment; they’re all

just trying to find acceptance.

But you’re different. You have the power to walk out of this vicious circle of judgment and tell yourself that it’s okay to be who you are!

Whether someone thinks you’re beautiful, stylish, sophisticated, or smart is of little

importance. If you believe these things about yourself, confidence will ooze from

your being and those around you will begin to see you in a new light.

One day, someone will come to appreciate all of your beautiful traits and

unique quirks.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. Do I depend on the opinion of others to feel worthy?2. Are my decisions based on what I need, or what I think others want from me?3. How can I increase the confidence I have in myself?

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Personal Reflection

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