Every Christmastide, as I unpack my collected ornaments, I find what is now becoming a fragile petite paper box, yellowing gently from time...
Smile

“We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”

-Mother Theresa

   

     I shall ever be grateful for the coastal trip gifted to me by a friend. She paid for everything. We feasted on scrumptious dinners, slept in luxurious beds in San Francisco and then at a Bed & Breakfast in Fort Bragg, California.  We gathered seaglass by the bucketsful, as the local beach is a plethora of the treasure. My cup overflowed, but I shall always most remember my encounter with a little girl on a train.

     We had ridden the Skunk Train through the majestic splendor of the surrounding Redwoods. On our return, I smiled across the aisle at a petite girl with a dark pageboy haircut. She smiled back. We continued our conversation of smiles as she worked her little fingers on orgami. Her little fingers flew, folding and turning small sheets of paper. Each time she made a new treasure, she passed it to me with a shy smile.  I thanked her with a smile.

     Earlier in our trip, I had found a heart shaped pebble. I gave it to her and she turned it over in her little hands and smiled. Her mother told us they had recently adopted the four year old maiden from Japan. I have cherished the paper treasures over the years, tucking them in my Bible originally. The heart used to mark the “Love Is” passage in 1 Corinthians 13. When led to, I have shared the story behind them, I have given all but one away. It is a small box which graces a top branch on our Christmas tree every year.

     I believe it is Christ’s light that allows smiles and kindness to bridge the gap between language barriers. We never know what a simple smile may accomplish, but for me, it spoke a thousand words in a language which spoke straight to my heart.