What makes you smile?
What is it that makes you demonstrate a certain facial expression that tells the world you’re either pleased, have affection for something, or are just plain amused by the object of your attention? What causes the corners of your mouth to turn up in a recognizable curve?
Back in the day, crooner Dean Martin sang these lyrics: “When you’re smilin’ the whole world smiles with you.”
Is that true? Is a smile contagious? Does a smile on my face cause a smile to emerge on yours?
I once read a Chinese proverb that proclaimed, “Use your smile to change the world; don’t let the world change your smile.”
That surely makes it sound like something as simple as a smile can make a huge difference in this world.
If you guessed that this past week’s Word Press photo challenge theme is smile, you can go ahead and let your face light up with a grin because you are absolutely correct.
I find it’s hard not to reciprocate when someone greets you with a big ol’ smile on his/her face. That tells me that there is something about this facial expression that is hard to keep to yourself.
Several years ago in this blog, I wrote about a little boy who gave me a smile, a rare thing for him according to his peers. If you care to read that post, which may cause your mouth to curve upward in that familiar expression, you can click here.
Mother Teresa once said, “Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”
So what are the things that make me smile? That make my face break into a happy dance? That demonstrate the things I love?
Sunsets and sunrises. My two adorable little grandchildren. When my family is all together in one place at one time.
A vibrant fall foliage-dressed tree. Blue skies and sunshine. Blooming flowers bursting into colors of the rainbow.
And yes, while we’re at it, rainbows after a storm. Birds enjoying a feast at our bird feeder. Baby animals.
Spending time with good friends. Hearing an old special song on the radio. Worshiping my Lord in and out of church.
I could plaster this post with pictures of all of those smile-giving items I just mentioned, so it proved to be a challenge just to choose one photo. But I finally decided on this one. My oldest sister and brother-in-law. Two people I love dearly and don’t get to see enough because they live far away from me.
I snapped this photo of them sharing a smile one summer a couple of years ago when they were visiting us. I can’t remember at all what made them turn to each other with big grins on their faces. Life hasn’t always been easy for them in their well over 50 years of marriage, and they’ve had to endure some health issues, but they still can smile.
And that makes me smile.
“Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody’s heart.” ~ Anthony J. D’Angelo
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