Smiling's my favorite...

One of my very favorite Christmas movies is the 2003 comedy, Elf, starring Buddy the Elf. There's a point in the movie when Buddy gets a job at a department store and the new manager asks him, "Why are you smiling like that?" To this Buddy simply replies, "I just like to smile. Smiling's my favorite."

I can't get over that quote and the simply joy it holds. You can't go wrong with a smile. I mean think about it. It's the universal sign for happiness. Everyone recognizes a smile to mean that you have found gladness in some part of life whether it be something big or small. Oh how I long to find the joy and love that Buddy experiences in life, for how often do you genuinely smile about something without having even the slightest feeling of love and joy towards it?

When I think about my time here in China, I can't deny the presence of smiles all around me. I have to admit that (though I miss everyone I love and care about back home more than I can express) there's a big smile on my face when I think about my work here. Even more than the smiles though, is the love that encompasses this place as a result. My time spent working at this remarkable organization and living in this quirky little village can only be explained by love. It makes the day go faster and makes it so much easier to get up in the morning with a smile on my face because I've found gladness in my work. And how much better it is when I'm greeted by smiles all throughout the day...

Whether it be at my one-on-one times playing with this little smile in the morning...

 

Angela

...or spending time with these smiling children in our Critical Care Unit...

Ella

Anton

Nicole

...or spending time playing with these warm and familiar smiles from last year in the afternoon...

Alex and Hannah

Serena

Lena (formerly Jenna till her adoptive family changed it)

...or even these sweet smiles playing in the backyard before I go home...

Amelia

Philip

Jace

Couldn't you just eat them up??

These are the smiles that I see throughout my day. And these are the reasons that I can smile too when I wake up in the morning knowing that I get to love these kids. I could never be thankful enough to our Father for letting me share in these smiles for the next two-and-a-half months. Smiling is contagious and comes as a result of knowing you are truly loved. These children know they are loved, just as you and I are by not only the people around us but by the most important source of love in the universe- our Creator. And I truly believe that when we remember that, we can't help but smile and spread that smile to others...so as you go throughout your day, I pray that you will find a reason to smile for as Mother Teresa said,

Let us always meet each other with a smile,

for a smile is the beginning of love...