Bet You’re Still Smiling
What makes you smile?
A good joke.
A kind word.
Someone holding a door open for you.
Sometimes, it’s something even smaller.
A stranger smiles at you, and you smile back.
Especially in a new country, these little moments can feel surprisingly warm. You may never know the person’s name. You may never see them again.
But for a few seconds, two strangers have made each other’s day a little better.
And sometimes, it’s just a silly sign in a little pizza place.
“IF YOU ARE GROUCHY, IRRITABLE, OR JUST PLAIN MEAN, THERE WILL BE A $10 CHARGE FOR PUTTING UP WITH YOU.”
I don’t know about you, but I’d probably pay the $10 just for the laugh. 😄
And then there are the smiles that come from memories.
A familiar face.
An old family story.
A joke that somehow survives the years.
Our first trip to America has given us the chance to reconnect with relatives here and create a few new memories of our own. The kind that will probably make us smile again long after we’re back home.
And somewhere along the way, I came across another sign that got me thinking about all these different kinds of smiles.
It was at Niagara Falls.
“BET YOU’RE STILL SMILING.”
They were right.
We were.
But the sign made me think about something else.
Some of the reasons we smile today may have begun long before today.
Someone may have cried for us.
Prayed for us.
Sacrificed for us.
Loved us quietly, without knowing how that love would shape our lives.
Some smiles come from what is happening now.
Some come from memories.
And some may be the answer to a prayer we never knew was prayed.
So yes, we’re still smiling.
Perhaps we have more reasons to smile than we realise. 😊
WORDSOUPS 