You Can't Judge a Book by It's Cover

I spent a few hours with Marty tonight.  It was not the kind of night that I thought it would be.  Marty married my niece over a year ago and I had never met him before the wedding and I have never spoken to him since.  I haven't ever really gotten the opportunity to talk to Marty, and quite frankly, didn't think I would have much to talk to Marty about when I did get the chance.  You see, we don't seem to have much in common.

Marty is 24 years old and has an incredible tattoo or one hundred, I can't tell.  They all run together to me.  And Marty is a Slam Poetry champ.  Not something that I have ever tried myself and I have never attended a slam poetry competition.  Marty is also a movie buff. Name a movie and Marty has seen it.  Marty was home schooled, never played sports, and is a pastor's kid.  In other words, Marty and I wouldn't hang in the same circles.

But a strange thing happened as I started to ask Marty questions tonight.  He started to tell me of his love for history, why he loves the movies, and how much he loved his granddad.  He spoke with passion, and was easy to laugh.  He had a kind spirit about him.  And Marty listened to my stories about my granddad and finances and he likes ice cream.

And I found myself really liking Marty.  He was not the guy that I had preconceived in my mind.  He wasn't a punk with a chip on his shoulder.  He was someone who I would like to talk with more often.  He was someone that I had more in common with than I could ever imagine.

And Marty proved to me once again that the old saying really is true......you can't judge a book by it's cover.