Spiritual Thoughts

   H e who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger . ~ Japanese proverb A cheerful  heart is good medicine; a soft answer turns away rage. ~ Proverbs 17:22; 15:1

  S omtimes your joy is the source of your smile, BUT sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy . ~ Thich Nhat Hanh A joyful heart is good medicine. ~ Proverbs 17:22

  A  kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.  ~ Washington Irving D o not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart ~ Proverbs 3:3

  A mong the things you can give and still keep are: your word, a smile, and a grateful heart. ~ Zig Ziglar F or what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account. ~ 1 Thessalonians 3:9

  Friday Tale ~ Bring Chips A  little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.  When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old man. He was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him some chips. He gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.  His smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, he smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.  As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. He gave him...

  B e the kind of person who is not afraid to ask someone if they are okay twice if the say they are BUT look like they are not.   Be the kind of person who smiles at people even if they don't smile back.   Be the kind of person you wished for when no one was there for you.   Be the kind of person who is brave enough to stan alone in a crowd for what is right.   Be that person because people like that are rarer than the rarest jewels and gold.  ~ Nikita Gill   B e kind to one another, tender-hearted,  forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. ~ Ephesians 4:32

D id I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of Love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come. ~ Henri Nouwen   P eacemakers who sow in peace, reap a harvest of righteousness. ~ James 3:18

Friday Tale - Storms and Pictures   A little girl walked to and from school daily. Though the weather one morning was questionable as clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to the elementary school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up along, with thunder & lightning.           The mother of the little girl felt concerned her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child.           Following the roar of thunder, lightning, like a flaming sword, would cut through the sky. Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school.            As she did, she saw her little girl walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up and smile.  Another and anoth...

  Friday Tale - Reason to Smile   C omedian George Burns said that he was advised: “Let a smile be your umbrella.” He said, “I tried that once. I had pneumonia for six weeks and shrunk a $450 suit.” All right. Maybe it won’t keep you dry in the rain, but there are other good reasons to smile. It’s said that it requires more muscles to frown than to smile, and who wants to overwork their facial muscles? Smiling also puts others at ease and helps establish instant rapport. And if that isn’t enough, when you smile it releases endorphins in your brain and gives you a feeling of well-being and contentment. So, if you smile when you don’t feel like it, you’ll soon be smiling just because it feels so good. Here are a few more reasons to smile: •       Smiling is a universal language that everyone knows. •       People will enjoy being around you when you smile. •      ...

  I t only takes a split second to smile  and forget, yet to someone who needed it,  it can last a life time. ~ Steve Maraboli   S o then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people. ~ Galatians 6:10

Friday Tale - The Smiling Game   It has been said that a smile is the lighting system of the face, the cooling system of the head and the heating system of the heart. But a smile is also a powerful weapon against toxic attitudes of all kinds.      Lisa Gurnsey, of Portland, Oregon, wrote to me about a man whose smile quite literally changed her life: "I was having a horrible day -- hating my job, tired of the weather, tired of trying to keep up on bills, and just completely stressed out. I stopped at the post office in the morning and, as I was entering, an older business man commented to me that it was going to be a good day and life shouldn't be as bad as I make it look. I glared at him and simply said, 'I wish it was Friday.’ "I felt better about my day when I left the post office...that man's smile and comment, although irritating at first, made me think. "The second time I ran into the man I went out of my way to say 'Happy Friday' to hi...

A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. ~ Charles Gordy   A joyful heart makes a cheerful face. ~ Proverbs 15:13 

F riday Tale: Smile A smile costs nothing, but gives much It enriches those who receive,  without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment,  but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty  that he can get along without it, and none is so poor, but that he can be made rich by it. A Smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the countersign of friendship. It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and it is nature's best antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, . for it is something that is of no value to anyone, until it is given away Some people are too tired to give you a smile; Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give. ~ Author Unknown H appiness makes you smile. ~ Proverbs 15:13

A smile is the lighting system of the face and the heating system of the heart.      ~ Barbara Jonson  A glad heart makes a cheerful face.... the cheerful of heart has a continual feast. ~ Proverbs 15:13, 17

A warm smile is the universal    language of kindness.  -William Arthur Ward  A glad heart makes a cheerful face. -Proverbs 15:13

Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu, When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too. I passed around the corner, and someone saw my grin. When he smiled I realized I'd passed it on to him. I thought about that smile, then I realized its worth. A single smile, just like mine, could travel round the earth. So, if you feel a smile begin, don't leave it undetected. Let's start an epidemic quick and get the world infected.   -From "As A Man Thinketh"  A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance. -Proverbs 15:13