what your smile can do

Be Part of the Humane Chain

In times of confusion, sorrow, frustration and fear, it is difficult to be aware of how one small deed can brush away the aforementioned feelings. The inhumane chain effect of our interactions can be harmful communication and can cause others to experience the same negative emotions that we are feeling.
By the same token, the humane chain of our interactions can rescue others from their negative emotions and fears. Just one small deed at the beginning of the humane chain can be life changing, or perhaps life-saving, for people all along the chain.

           SMILE

She smiled at a sorrowful stranger.
The smile seemed to make him feel better.
He remembered past kindness of a friend
And wrote him a thank you letter.

The friend was so pleased with the thank you
That he left a large tip after lunch.
The waitress, surprised by the size of the tip,
Gave part to a man on the street.

The man on the street was grateful;
For two days he'd had nothing to eat.
After he finished his dinner,
He left for his small dingy room.

He didn't know at that moment
That he might be facing his doom.
On the way he picked up a shivering puppy
And took him home to get warm.
The puppy was very grateful
To be in out of the storm.

That night the house caught on fire.
The puppy barked the alarm.
He barked till he woke the whole household
And saved everybody from harm.

One of the boys that he rescued
Grew up to be President.
All this because of a simple smile
That hadn't cost a cent.

   Written by: Barbara Hauck

Affirmation for the Week:
"I am part of a humane chain and I am doing my part to make it a life changing chain."
Have a strongly linked week!
Mary Rau-Foster
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Mary's book "Motivating Moments" makes a great gift for you, your family and your friends. This 200+ page book, with illustrations, is a guaranteed morale booster, as well as thought provoking and inspirational. To learn more and to order online, visit www.motivatingmomentsbook.com or www.workplaceissues.com/motivatingmomentsbook.htm

MY THOUGHTS

I thought and thought of where to post this blog.  It can be about relationships or about being happy or about managing yourself.  Somehow, it didn't feel right.

So, I read the poem again. And again.  Until I realized what a smile is all about - a stream in a desert, something bright to light up something gloomy, something simple that can ease away something complicated.


I thank God for teaching me, everyday, that a smile is so much better than a frown - that a gentle word is so much powerful than a scowl.


I have lost a lot of "battles", because I chose not to smile.  Now I know better.  Thank you, Lord, for helping me see that when I smile, I don't need to go to war.

What LInsanity Has Taught Me

It is true, for me and for many others, that there can be streams in the desert.  In the case of Jeremy Lin, it's a case of streams in his desert called the 'bench'.


You Don't Need to be in Sports to Get 'Benched'. 


Have you ever been 'benched'?  Do you know what it feels like to be put on hold, to be stuck in the sidelines knowing that you have what it takes to throw and shoot the ball?



At home, you can be the one with more brains, but for years, you have to shut your mouth because you are not old enough.  Benched!

With friends, you can be the most talented, but you have to be the support dancer or back-up singer, because someone else looks better or has more money to pay for the expensive performance attires. Benched!


At work, you may have more skills and potential than your boss.  But he got there first, and for years, you sit on the 'bench' while your boss basks in all the glory. Benched!


Believe me, the bench is not a good place to be.  Not if you don't have the patience, perseverance and humility of someone like Jeremy Lin.



The Streams in Jeremy's Bench.


I already know from the countless news about Jeremy Lin, that he is a star.  Linsanity is becoming a by-word because of what he has brought to the court. 

But I never realized, not until after I read an article about Linsanity from Christianity.com, that Jeremy Lin is truly an exceptional Christian.

While most of us will grumble and gripe while in the state of being 'benched', Jeremy Lin found his 'streams in the desert' while sitting on the bench.

He made use of the 'time to be silent' to watch and learn from the bench-from the coach, from the players, from the game itself.

No sulking.  No complaining.  No plotting for revenge.  

Jeremy Lin understood and accepted that God has put him on hold for a very good reason.  He understood that he cannot have everything he wants.  He believed that there is a Higher Being who is in control of his life who will end his 'desert time' in His own perfect time.

 Jeremy's triumph is not in the scores nor in the assists.  His triumph was in the 'bench'.  We have much to learn from him.