Sally, a teenage girl, was deeply ashamed of her father, Jeff, a fireman who had been disfigured in a fire. She avoided bringing friends home and refused to let him attend her school events.

One day, Jeff risked his life to rescue a man from a fire. To Sally’s shock, the man he saved was Mr. Gardner, the popular teacher at her school. The next day, Sally’s classmates visited Jeff to thank him. They admired his bravery, calling his scars “the marks of a hero.”

Sally was initially horrified, but as she watched her friends praise her dad, she realized they saw beyond his appearance. Sally finally understood that “beauty fades, but courage and kindness last forever.” Overwhelmed with pride, she came out of hiding and introduced Jeff as her father.

This experience taught Sally to value people for their inner qualities rather than their appearance.