Before my eyes, I am proudly watching them both change into something other than what they have most recently been. From each of their births they have changed through the journey of infancy to childhood, to adolescence, to teenagers, to adults and now to parents. They are traveling the road many of us have already traveled. I must say I am delighted to witness their change into something better and good.
They have been changed during the first days when the little one came home, unsure of what to do next and how to do it. They have become comfortable with handling the fragile, dependent little human being. They have learned to care for her needs and to nourish her and love her. The loving part comes easy from my perspective!
Since the little one, my daughter calls her "baby", since "baby" has come home, we have all watched with eagerness to see her move more freely. We have anticipated any sign of her moving forward, well in baby steps, to her next accomplishment. All have eagerly awaited that first big smile.
That first smile came with jubilation and great excitement. We have watched her muster an effort filled smile here and there to the point that now she smiles with no effort at all. Each and every one of her smiles made every one of us who were there smile a great smile back. Her smile is a two fold gift. She smiles and gives us joy. Then the most free and effortless smile appears on our faces. It is like a stone tossed in a pond. One little stone creates not one ripple in the pond but many. Her smile does that as well. Her one smile creates many smiles. Isn't it amazing how that one tiny smile creates such an effect. I guess I should have said her smile is really a three fold gift. We get the gift of her smile which makes us smile, then we smile again when we tell of her smiles and that even makes others smile. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving! When baby smiles, everyone smiles! Smiles are love given in facial expression and smiles change people. Every day, we have the power to change a life, even if only for a moment. All it may take is a smile.
In a way, life is like a coin toss. To have a coin toss, you must have a coin with two sides. Instead of heads or tails, can we consider a life coin toss as having a positive or negative sided coin? When our life toss coin is launched into the air, we have to make a call. Are we going to call positive or negative?
We can make a positive impact on others or a negative one, which will we choose? There are people around us every day, all day. We are shoved into a mass of people all living life. Many living with no thought to how they impact the lives of others. Many so self focused all they can see is their wants, needs and desires. The fact of the matter is that life is not just about any one of us. Life is about all of us - together. There is no escaping that fact, we are all in it together. We can choose to be miserable and make everyone around us miserable. Or, we can choose to be loving and make everyone around us feel loved. Flip the coin and call out the side you want to win at the start of each day.
Choose the impact you want to make on others. It can be as simple as a conscious decision. Each of us has the power to cause a smile or cause a frown, choose carefully and wisely my friends.
By the way, you know what I've noticed? I've noticed that when a baby is born they have certain instincts. They breathe, they eat, they go potty, they sleep, and look around. Here is something I believe is very important. The very first thing that they learn to do is smile and make others smile. Do you realize how what we value so much like walking, talking and reading come very much later. Is it a coincidence that God made the ability to smile the first thing they do? I think not. I think He had something very important in mind when he put smiling at the top of the list.
Here's a smile for you from "baby", I dare you to try to not smile back!
Share a smile today and you might just get one back yourself! No kidding, it is the gift that keeps on giving. Trust me. Your one smile may end up becoming a thousand smiles by the end of the day. Go ahead, give it a try.