A memory I have is of one
of the older volunteers who lived on the grounds and helped where needed. I told this story at every staff Orientation
through the years. I would walk
back and forth from the dining room to my apartment and other places on the
grounds. Every time he saw me he
would gently come up to me and rub his finger on my forehead and said something
like, “do you know your frowning? A
smile on that face would look better.”
He would do this each time he saw me. I would get so angry, I would walk the other way if I saw him coming towards me.
One
day, when I saw him, I thought, “You know, Noreen, he is your friend. Do you really want to look like you are
stressed out and unhappy? The Lord has given you a friend who is
serving as a mirror for you.” It was a God thing! That
thought was like a light out of the darkness. From then on I was happy to see him because
he reminded me not to frown but to have a pleasant countenance.
I
often used that illustration in seminars and talks. It was
an effective story out of real life to learn how to be grateful for those
around us who are mirrors of who we are. Gives
us the opportunity to choose how we want to project ourselves to others.
The last word my kids heard from me as they jumped out of the car each morning during their high school years was and still is "smile."
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