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When we make assumptions about other people, and act on less than the full picture, we risk causing harm. Things are not always as they seem, and we must be humble enough to admit what we don’t know, and give others a chance. To illustrate this point, today we share a story which reminds us to take our time before acting.

Corinna Skorpenske of Ohio took to facebook to share a story involving her daughter Harley. Harley had parked in a handicapped space outside of a local pharmacy and when she returned, found a note left on her windshield.

The handwritten note stated “You should be ashamed!! When you take a handicap spot an actual disabled person suffers. You were not raised as you should have.”

The person leaving the note had seen Harley walk unaided into the store, no crutches or wheelchair to aid her. Undoubtedly under the impression that they were righting a perceived wrong, they left the note to discourage what they assumed was a young woman misusing the handicapped parking available.

While leaving an obnoxious and anonymous note was an inappropriate way to address such a situation in the first place, the story takes another turn. Harley is in fact disabled, suffering from the age of 16 with the debilitating disease known as lupus. This disease causes an affected person’s immune system to attack them, and causes great pain and  difficulty with mobility, while such pain and difficulty may not always be visible and pronounced.

Corinna was shocked at both the assumption made, and the pain caused to her daughter by the note left in ignorance of the entire situation. She took to facebook, and shared a post we believe is worth reading with your family:

Corinna makes the valid point that we never know exactly what is going on in another person’s life. Just because her daughter did not have a visible disability, does not mean it was right to assume she was doing something wrong. We are told from a young age to not “judge a book by its cover.” We need to remember that these are not just words, but important principles to incorporate into our lives.

We hope that everyone can learn from Corinna’s notion about taking the time to think before we act, and give others the benefit of the doubt. We also find power in the sentiment at the end of her post. Rather than letting the vitriol of the note inspire similar writing from her, Corinna expressed that she does not wish to ruin someone else’s day as revenge for having her daughter’s day ruined. Rather, she simply hopes that the person who left the note has a chance to open their eyes and “meet [her] daughter.”

We applaud Corina for finding a way to take an ugly situation and create something so touching out of it. May we all learn from her example, take time to think, and spread hope rather than anger.