God Bless You, Sister

I found the perfect remedy yesterday for anyone who needs to be lifted up.  Wear a bright blue shirt and a smile.  The trick is, however, you have to be the first one to smile at people.  And you have to mean it.  It can't be one of those fakey smiles -- the kind you see at the new car dealership, "Oh, we're so glad to see you again, Mrs. X." -- or especially at the grocery stores, "Thank you for shopping with us today."  (They really mean, "We like your money.")

No, you have to smile with your eyes, not just your mouth.  The smile from your eyes is actually coming straight from your heart.  A smile from your heart really means you are transmitting love to the person, but not in those exact words.  If you go through the day radiating love to the people around you, a truly amazing thing happens.  It just bounces right back!  The people usually sense the love (even though they may not call it that exactly) and return it in the form of a smile.

Sometimes it's a very powerful thing.  Some people are very attuned to it and immediately give back.  I had one of those "whoa" moments yesterday.  I had just finished at the doctor's office and was on my way back to the parking garage.  I walked past a lady with two young children sitting on a bench beside the elevator.  I smiled at her and she said something about my blue shirt.  I said something about her two beautiful children.  She then told me they were twins, and she had another set of twins who were upstairs with their grandmother.  She has a total of eight children, has had five C-sections.  She's 44 and the doctor has told her she can't have any more children, "because her tissue is too weak."  I asked her how she's doing with all of it.  She said, "I'm fine, praise Jesus."  I responded, "Yes, you certainly are."  And as I was walking away she told me, "God bless you, Sister." 

That totally made my day.

I still had to go back to work and face the mountain of phone messages, email and projects waiting for me.  But it helped me put things in perspective.  I don't have to solve all of the problems.  And I certainly don't have to do it alone.  Sometimes all it takes is a smile.

So, to everyone out there, God Bless you, Sister.  Or Brother.