This was sent to me in my e-mail and I wanted to share 
               this as it is a wonderful lesson in how we all should 
               show love no matter how a person or animal looks. We 
               need to look deeper and see the heart and not the 
               smell or the dirt or the fact someone may not be 
               perfect on the outside, but see the love and caring 
               that person or animal may have to give.

               Everyone in the apartment complex I lived in knew who 
               Ugly was. 
               Ugly was the resident tomcat. 
               Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting, 
               eating garbage, and shall we say, love. 
               The combination of these things combined with a life 
               spent outside had their effect on Ugly. 
               To start with, he had only one eye, and where the     
               other should have been was a gaping hole. 
               He was also missing his ear on the same side, his 
               left foot appeared to have been badly broken at one 
               time, and had healed at an unnatural angle, making him 
               look like he was always turning the corner. 
               His tail had long ago been lost, leaving only the 
               smallest stub, which he would constantly jerk and 
               twitch. 
               Ugly would have been a dark gray tabby striped-type, 
               except for the sores covering his head, neck, even his
               shoulders with thick, yellowing scabs. 
               Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same 
               reaction. "That's one UGLY cat!!" 
               All the children were warned not to touch him, the 
               adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, squirted 
               him when he tried to come in their homes, or shut his 
               paws in the door when he would not leave. 
               Ugly always had the same reaction. If you turned the 
               hose on him, he would stand there, getting soaked 
               until you gave up and quit. 
               If you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky 
               body around your feet in forgiveness. 
               Whenever he spied children, he would come running 
               meowing frantically and bump his head against their 
               hands, begging for their love. 
               If you ever picked him up he would immediately begin 
               suckling on your shirt, earrings, whatever he could 
               find. 
               One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbors 
               huskies. 
               They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly 
               mauled. 
               From my apartment I could hear his screams, and I 
               tried to rush to his aid. 
               By the time I got to where he was laying, it was 
               apparent Ugly's sad life was almost at an end. 
               Ugly lay in a wet circle, his back legs and lower back 
               twisted grossly out of shape, a gaping tear in the 
               white strip of fur that ran down his front.
               As I picked him up and tried to carry him home I could 
               hear him wheezing and gasping, and could feel him 
               struggling. 
               I must be hurting him terribly I thought. 
               Then I felt a familiar tugging, sucking sensation on 
               my ear - Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and 
               obviously dying was trying to suckle my ear. 
               I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped the palm of 
               my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden 
               eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of 
               purring. 
               Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battled-scarred 
               cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps 
               some compassion. 
               At that moment I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, 
               loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try
               to bite or scratch me, or even try to get away from 
               me, or struggle in any way. 
               Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to
               relieve his pain. 
               Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I 
               sat and held him for a long time afterwards, thinking 
               about how one scarred, deformed little stray could so 
               alter my opinion about what it means to have true 
               pureness of spirit, to love so totally and truly. 
               Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion than a 
               thousand books, lectures, or talk show specials 
               ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. 
               He had been scarred on the outside, but I was scarred 
               on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and 
               learn to love truly and deeply. 
               To give my total to those I cared for. 
               Many people want to be richer, more successful, well 
               liked, beautiful, but for me, I will always try to be 
               Ugly.