Day 354 - The Little Things

"I bought a St. James Island pine while there which I planted tonight."

My wife loves the St. James Island Pine. They are nice trees I must admit. We had a tree die in our front yard and she was waiting for that perfect St. James Island pine to take its place. When I finally got it and planted it she was so happy. 

It is the little things in life that often make us happy. Our favorite song on the radio, the colors of the sky, the verse on the Christmas card that we just happened to read the day before. All of these little things make for a smile and a better day somehow. 

My wife and I were watching a Christmas special with lots of big name recording artists and all types of beautiful Christmas music when suddenly they broke into the song "My Favorite Things." I am still trying to figure out how The Sound of Music is Christmas but I enjoy the song so I wasn't mad at them. My wife broke out into song and sang along for a few bars. Not to be outdone I joined in the chorus and we sang all the way through the song to the end. I didn't realize I knew all the words. I must have learned it as a kid for the Christmas pageant at school. (That was a joke in case you missed it.)

The funny thing about that song is that it lists some pretty good things that make us happy. Some of them, like raindrops on roses, you may actually find on my Instagram feed. In any event we were happy after we sang it together. You would have thought we just got off a Broadway stage with the smiles we were wearing. 

In the Bible it says that a happy heart produces a happy face (I'm paraphrasing) but a sad heartbreaks the spirit. There are many broken people around. In the worst of circumstances I have seen some of the happiest people. Like the homeless man who shared with a smile that the Lord had never let him miss a meal. Or the children who were living in the dumps of Mexico but were so happy that people from a church would spend time with them. 

Dwell on the little things that make you happy, and if there are big things that make you happy dwell on those too. It will make your face brighter and your day better. 

What are some simple things that make you happy? Have you ever seen someone happy in adversity? Why were they happy? 

Day 77 - A Good Laugh

"While we drove Jess was quizzing our nephew for his spelling test and tried to get him to say the definition for 'frigid' by talking about her arm. She said “I can't move my arm it is stiff and straight.” Our son chimed in and said “Mom, just move it. You can move it.” When she started to laugh and waved her hand he said “See I saw it move!” We had a good laugh about it."

A year later I read this story and still smile. It is good to remember good things and smile. There are so many things in every day that can bring us a frown. Just watch the news and the frown will come naturally. Life will give plenty of reason to be down. 

I have read that smiling releases endorphins that help you feel better and can actually change your mood. It just confirms what Will Ferrel says in the movie The Elf "I just like smiling, smiling is my favorite!" 

God has given us reasons to smile. Beauty, humor, redemption, eternity, family, friends, church and love to name a few. If we can focus our attention on what is good and remember to smile our days will be brighter. 

What makes you smile? Do you have a moment that you can't think about without a smile?