THE POWER OF SMILES

      In my inter-personal relationship class in college, we learned about body language. We studied the way people smile. I watch smiles a lot. A lopsided grin can exude sarcasm. People can smile with the mouth, but not with their eyes. There are so many ways to express emotion!
     I was recently talking to a young boy. He has an amazing smile that lights up his whole face when he's being real and when he's truly happy. Last night little Isaac was in a smiley mood much of the time. I love his unfettered, unabbreviated joy-face.
     Somehow as we get older, we forget about our faces! I wrote about this when my mother died --- how all the wrinkles on her 86-year-old face disappeared in death. I sat by her bed as the warmth left her body, stroked her face and hair, and realized, THE WRINKLES WERE GONE! I wonder what will happen to my face when I die? Will those frown lines between my eyebrows go away?  Why don't I just frown less and smile more?
     I've seen people who seemed to REFUSE to smile. No matter what amazing things were going on, no matter how delightful the food was, no matter how ... well, you understand ... no smiles.
     I want to smile more...laugh much...delight in God's wonders and love. Let your face go sometime. Let your eyes light up. Watch for the humor in every situation ---and just see how much saner you will feel!
    

JOY Challenging Week

    My boss is on vacation and I'm covering for her, which means I am counseling a bunch of kids with a lot of real behavioral issues. I was a little concerned about it at first, but my goal has just been to see the image of the Creator in each one of these very wounded children. Some have not seen their parents since they were under 5 years old. Some struggle with physical, mental, and emotional handicaps because of parents' choices.
    My job isn't really to "counsel" --- or give a bunch of advice. It's to listen, love them, and give them one or two new tools to try to make their lives a bit better. Watching a kids' eyes light up when you are happy to see them...such a treat. Who benefits from this week? Them or me??
    Lord, help me to be filled with YOUR JOY today until it overflows to others, even when I'm weary. Help me to see Your glory and Your image in every human being I come in contact with today. (Psalm 8)

More Travel Stuff

    I always have to go to the airport early because security takes longer for me due to 3 implants in my body. I got to the gate in Atlanta and sat down to untangle some yarn I was working with. I thought: "Hm, going to Indianapolis...wonder if I'll see anyone I know on this flight?" A few minutes later I looked up from the mess of yarn and 2 rows over a lady is looking back at me --- staring --- and I jumped up: "Bettie!"  She yelled out, "Karen," at the same time. (Sounds like a cheesy movie, right?) She was on her way home and would be on my flight...and she offered me a ride from the airport, saving my daughter a trip to get me. Bettie was in a support group we started in Anderson years ago. We chatted about serious and funny memories together...nice.
    A few days later I left for home - from Indiana to Chicago and then to Seattle. As I waited at the gate in Chicago, I noticed a lady who was brought to the gate in a wheelchair. She had on a plaid blouse and denim skirt, and a straw hat. When I got on the plane, she was seated next to me. Someone placed her hat in the overhead bin.
    Part way through the 4 hr. flight, my seatmate decided to snooze a bit. She took out a sweatshirt with a hood and put it on and leaned her head back. A little later she needed to use the restroom. As she removed the sweatshirt and hood, her hair flipped off too! She was wearing a wig! She nonchalantly picked up the wig, shook it several times and placed it back on her head.
    What will you see as you travel through your day today? Lighten up and find the humor in your own life. Smile in traffic; laugh with a child. Let me know what happens.
     
    

Winding Down

    My children have always lived pretty far from home, but this past summer Sharon and Casey stayed in Sunnyside with us for a month. I know I drove them crazy, and the kids sometimes drove me crazy, but something happened during that time. A different kind of bond was formed with each of the children.
    Last night I arrived in Indiana for just a couple days before heading back to Washington. Even though I'm not feeling well, the conversations I've had with Ryan and Niko have already been great. Chase has had some conversations with me, but I don't always get everything he says!!!  He's always in a big hurry and he's two and excited about EVERYTHING. 
     I am thankful for my children and their families and even though as I get older, I'm not as patient, nor as involved...I still enjoy them very  much.
     When I get home I will write about my interesting trip from Atlanta to Indy...I just don't believe in coincidences anymore!!
    

JOY MOMENTS with Caleb and Evelyn

    Caleb is 5 and Evelyn is 18 months. Here are some of my joy moments with them:
---Caleb and I playing "Huckle-buckle-beanstock" together. He said, "Ok, Grandma...this is going to be hard and I'm not giving you ANY clues!" (If you don't know what this game is and want to, write me).
---Evelyn just getting up or even going to bed, standing at the top of the stairs, waving her "royalty" hand-wave, "Hi, Grandma." "Hi, Grandma." "Hi, Grandma."
---Caleb had never seen a gymnastics competition...as he watched a muscled fellow from Europe on the rings, he exclaimed, "Is that REAL?" Then: "Do they have gymnastics for kids?"
    Tonight their dad returns from a business trip, and we will celebrate his birthday which is tomorrow. Then tomorrow night I'm headed to Indiana to the Bernhardt home for a couple of days. 
    Joy moments are precious when I don't see my grandkids often enough. Love my family.

BRAIN DRAIN...BANKING JOY

    Sometimes we become weary or physically ill, and our bodies and minds don't work like they should. People and situations sap our strength and stamina. When that happens, JOY STRENGTH is needed just to cope. If I've been banking my JOY STRENGTH, I will have some reserves. If not, everything is more annoying; even the people I love and care about can drive me nuts!            
    So if you're doing well today, do some fun things, spend time with joy-giving friends, create something, listen to beautiful music...and bank some of that JOY!  The day will come when you'll need every ounce of JOY in your bank!!

 

Travel Joy

I enjoy traveling and watching for funny things, but there are always stressors in the process; it doesn't always go as planned.
Monday: 
--- head to Seattle. 
Plan: stop in North Bend to shop a bit. Actuality: RAIN, RAIN, RAIN...hard, heavy rain. CHANGE IN PLAN; no umbrella, not shopping in that kind of rain!
--- dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant...it is NOT like Thai!
--- planned hotel reservation didn't work properly; went to a different motel, which ended up being CHEAPER!
--- awaken to NO COFFEE POT in the room..coffee maker: check, coffee packets: check, cream and cups: check, but no carafe for the water.
--- fruit and yogurt and coffee in the "cafe" and then to the airport
--- at the gate, noticing a gentleman sitting nearby...with, wait a minute --- about 6" fingernails!
--- met people from Scotland, and a Brazilian who doesn't like soccer!

All through the travel day, I felt this sense of peace and joy, and I felt like smiling a lot. 
People in airports are not always smiling, and I wondered if my joy showed on my face?

Hmmm...more to write about another day!

JOY Bank Business

     It's Monday...one of my days off of a part-time job, and I need to refill my JOY BANK today. Only a couple of these really help my JB. Can you guess which ones?
---Coffee
---Seeing some pictures of my grandchildren online
---Reading Jesus' prayer for ME in John 17
---Riding the exercise bike
---Playing the keyboard
---Completing a few tasks like emptying the dishwasher and preparing the "pill box" for the week
---De-crumbing the computer keyboard

    It's not even 8 am yet, so I'm thinking about what's on my agenda that will really help my JB today:
---Meeting with a good friend
---Studying the Bible with friends
---Go hold that new Baby Lilah
---Talk to a friend about giving away and old car to someone who needs it

    I started to include some CHORES, and sometimes completing a task helps me feel better, but it takes RELATIONSHIPS and COMMUNITY to put JOY in my JB.
    How's YOUR Joy Bank today? Running on low? Filled to the brim and running over? Paul said, "Encourage one another." Hope you connect with a JOY-FILLED friendship today.