You Have Something That Someone Needs Badly

28 Apr

“Nobody needs a smile so much as the one who has none to give. So get used to smiling heart-warming smiles, and you will spread sunshine in a sometimes dreary world.”
~ Lawrence G. Lovasik

I see someone smiling a real, authentic, honest-to-goodness smile and I’m sold. I can generally tell real smiles from fake smiles in no time at all. The eyes are all wrong in a fake smile. A real smile begins in the face but radiates all throughout a person. Their eyes become warm and engaging and their posture loosens up as if they are ready to hug the world.

I remember the Sisters at St. Mary grade school in Griffith when I was in third grade. One, in particular, would always greet a group of grumpy students with the admonition, “It takes more muscles to frown than to smile. Don’t overwork your face. Smile!”

Why is it that we spend so much of our time looking inward and not realizing the need all around us? A smile and a warm greeting are all that most people need. Real smiles are welcome any day. They are affirming. They are life-giving. They are nurturing. They are, in short, something that the world needs oh, so, desperately.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that you can change the world around you — and the world within — merely by smiling? Give it a try today. What do you have to lose?

FAITH ACTION:  Do your best today to spread love, care, warmth, and concern to every person you encounter.