Scattering Smile Seeds

Her wisdom showed in her aged blue eyes.  Laugh lines erased the smoothness of youth from her face.

"When my husband told me he was coming here, I told him I just had to come along so I could visit with you.  I hope that's ok."  Her face lit up with a smile. 

I glanced down at the stack of papers needing my attention, waved her in and said, "Of course!" 

She sat down in the chair across from my desk while her husband disappeared into the office of a designer to discuss the new home they were building.

A few weeks previous they stopped by the office to start the preliminary workings on their new home.  Our conversation kept light; musings about the weather, children and the such.  Not much stood out from the conversation except one thing - her parting comment to me.  Hugs are free and she asked for one; when I obliged she thanked me for my smile as it made her day.

A smile made her day?  A simple gesture made that much of a difference?

Does she know about my daily struggles, my concerns or the focus of my daily prayers?  No.  Does she know about the worries I carry as a wife and mother or the stresses of my full time job?  No.  What she did know is I smiled at her.  In a world where people walk with their faces down staring into their smart phones, I looked at her and smiled.

And it made all the difference. 

The thought blew a cobweb off a memory created in high school.  The entire school met in the chapel for a more-than-standard assembly.  Time has erased the purpose of the meeting, but engraved in my memory was a real life story told by a teacher.  Standing in front of the school, the teacher relayed to us the enthusiasm a student had one day when running into her classroom after the dismissal bell.  With excitement, the student told her someone had smiled at them that day.  One person smiled and the single and simple gesture had given them something they never receive.  I was dumbstruck and my mind raced to think who could this possibly be?  Who walked these halls daily and not ever see a smile from anyone?  To this day, 25 years later, I still don't know the answer to the question and it haunts me. 

A smile makes a difference.  A smile is easy to do and is powerful beyond measure.  One may never know the impact this small act can make on the life of another. 

How about tonight when you come home from work, you put a big smile on your face when you greet those you live with?  Or smile at the checker and say 'thank you' as she hands you your receipt?  Or turn and smile at the person standing in line behind you?

When we smile we give much more than a curved line on our face; often, a smile is returned.  It is when the person smiles back, you know they can not smile and carry worry in the same expression.  Those are the seconds when you take their burden from them and give them a brief moment of rest.  And you realize it feels good.

Before leaving my office today, she hugs me and says, "Thank you for scattering smile seeds."

Scatter seeds my friends.