And I smile...

A resting face can say a lot. There are actually "funny" memes about different kinds of resting faces. Recently I looked at the resting face of an older friend and saw a frown etched deep into his brow, almost to the point of wondering what was he angry about. I know he wasn't. That was just the expression that had carved itself into his face over the years. 

You can see a lot in a resting face. Maybe that is why we are so drawn to the faces of sleeping infants. There is no worry, no stress, no anger - only peace.

I remember many, many, many years ago when I was reading one of those "Teen Beat" magazines that were so popular in the 70's about what my "teen idol" looked for in a girl. It might have been Davy Jones, or Donny Osmond, or David Cassidy - who remembers which one I was most in love with that week. But something from that article stuck with me ever since that day. Whichever "D" it was, he said he looked for a girl who had a smile on her face even when it was resting. 

Now mind you, most people do NOT have a smile on their face all the time. (Resist the temptation to go look in the mirror to see what your own resting face looks like. Or if you do, don't forget to come back and finish reading.) A resting face tends to be kind of...frowny. The only way to have a resting face with a smile is for you to have recently, as in the past couple of minutes, been smiling. 

Anyway, since I read that article as an impressionable teenager, I have become very aware of what my face is "saying." And, as I have gotten older, I find myself looking for more reasons to smile. It tends to hide some of the wrinkles time has etched into my visage. At least that's what I tell myself. 

Maybe that's one reason I like facebook. I watch a funny video or read a sweet story or one of those Christmas commercials from Folgers or Budweiser, and I find that I'm sitting there with a smile on my face. It's not some laugh out loud smile, but just a reminder that life is filled with little moments of happiness and hope...and the resulting smile feels good. 

I've had students ask me, "Why are you always smiling?" To be honest, sometimes it's so I won't cry in frustration, but mostly it's because I am blessed. There is Hope within me. To quote an old hymn, "I know Who holds the future, and He's watching over me." Shouldn't my face reflect that?

I'm not saying I always succeed with the smile, but as I get older I find I am more and more aware of what my face is doing. Since my face seems to have a mind of its own when it comes to aging, I can at least control how my wrinkles are arranged. Smiling is much better than makeup for hiding the ravages of time. And as Buddy the Elf says, I love smiling - smiling is my favorite!

Today, I hope you have moments that bring that sweet smile to your face, moments that bring the "laugh out loud" smile to your face, and moments that you find you are, for no particular reason, wearing a peaceful smile. Do whatever you need to do to find your smile. You'll be surprised at how good it makes you feel...as well as those around you. 

We could start a "smiling epidemic" that could take the next decade by storm...or at the very least leave our own lives feeling a little more hopeful. 

My story ends with a good note - perhaps one that will make you smile. My friend had a little child approach him with a hug and suddenly all the worry and frown that had been there vanished in an instant as a smile took its place. "And a little child shall lead them..."

Check your face - what is it doing right now? As for me, I'm smiling.

1 Peter 3:15
“Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.”