Smiley Faces

My family and I were driving to Bob Evans and the children were talking about what they would order.

"I will need to see the menu!"  Elliot, our two year old, said emphatically.

"Do you suppose you'll get smiley face potatoes?"  I asked.

"Of course, Dad," Anna said.

"I don't know,"  I said in a worried tone.  "I heard that there was a shortage of smiley faces."

"That's silly, Dad,"  Anna said and all three of the children burst into gales of laughter.

Anna was right.  There were plenty of smiley face potatoes for the children at Bob Evans.   Unfortunately, it seems to me, that there is definitely a shortage of smiley faces in the world and it is worse this time of year.  As I walk around, I see many somber and even angry faces.

I wish that I might be the one who discovers "Vitamin X" or, "The Waldron Factor," which when taken regularly, causes people to smile in a routine and relaxed fashion.  But this is one area where medical science will not improve the situation.

True smiles grow out of a heart of joy.  Proverbs tells that "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (17:22).  Into a chilly room, full of melancholy souls, an individual may walk and raise the temperature ten degrees, simply by smiling.