Monday, September 26, 2011

She Smiles

She Smiles

A dark room could be illuminated, when she simply smiles.
She can keep a radiating glow through all life’s tribulations and trials.
Her happiness and joy are pure and genuine, clearly coming from within.
There is seldom a moment in time when her face is not adorned with a grin.

Her laughter seems more contagious than a common cold.
She can captivate an audience, no matter how young or old.
Many wonder how anyone can be so happy and content.
Her delight in people and life are surely heaven sent.

Where did this energy come from? Why does she have a smile on her face?
Is she in a fairy tale world, or permanently stuck in her happy place?
What is it about her that makes her stand out in the crowd?
What has she done, what does she have, that makes her feel so proud?

One day I decided to sit back and watch her. I became a private eye.
I would find her secret to this happiness and the reason why.
There must be a simple explanation how anyone can have such cheer.
After taking the time to watch her work, her secret soon became clear.

She smiles on the outside, no matter what comes her way.
But every now and then, she closes her eyes to pray.
She may be smiling, and then softly wipe a tear from her cheek.
It is captivating how a smile or tear tell more than words we speak.

No one seemed to notice that she carried a heavy load.
In spite of her struggles, the weariness never visibly showed.
Her smile, make-up and accessories were a mere distraction.
Those things possibly create the unanimous interpretation and reaction.

 
I saw her daughter skip to her side; with a smiling, dirt-speckled face.
She held a bouquet of weeds and exclaimed, “Mommy, I need a vase!”
The mom gasped in smiling awe as though it was the most beautiful sight.
She said to her little girl, “Oh yes sweet girl! You are certainly right!”

That’s when I walked up to them after I had watched for awhile.
I said, “There are roses right over there,” and the lady said with a smile:
“No thank you sir. We prefer weeds over roses, if we have the choice.”
I was taken aback by her response and her assuring voice.

The little girl chimed in, “Roses are pretty, but their thorns make you bleed.
Mommy says they’re too high maintenance. There’s more beauty in a weed.
Weeds are tough and strong. They can grow through a concrete’s crack.
No matter what happens in life, they just keep coming back!”

The mom smiled with pride as her little girl shed some light for me.
I stood in silence, with a smile on my face, and then I began to see …
“What is it about her that makes her stand out in the crowd?
What has she done, what does she have, that makes her feel so proud?”

The answer is hidden behind her smile. Taking the time to look is key.
What perplexes those who wonder, turns out is really no mystery.
Her happiness is a choice; it’s not a destination where she arrives.
She goes through some difficult times; Smiling is how she survives.

The truth is she has plenty of reasons to wear a common frown.
She has just as many problems as every other person in town.
If there is a way to smile, she will; Even if it’s through tears.
It’s when we give into the negative around us that our smile disappears.

Is she happy all the time? Does trouble never come her way?
The answer is NO and YES, each and every day.
The next time you see a happy person, with a smile on their face …
Don’t assume her life is perfect. That’s certainly not the case.

If she possibly can … she smiles.
9/24/11
© Kasi M Bryon

Proverbs 14:13 Laughter can conceal a heavy heart; when laughter ends, the grief remains
Remember that …

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