Reflection

“Smiling is mouth yoga. We release the tension from our face as we smile. Others who run into us notice, even strangers, and are likely to smile back. It is a wonderful chain reaction that we can initiate, touching the joy in anyone we encounter.” –Thích Nhất Hạnh

Prayer

Joyous Creator,

You made us to smile, and this truly is gift. Would we even know who we are, without the smile of another? (Consider the smile of the mother… the infant’s locked gaze... being loved in that smile…) The smile of another brings us out of these shells and we can feel ourselves touched, almost in spite of ourselves.

In myriad ways you smile on us, too, Lord. And it’s something to ponder and praise, that the greatest hilarity shared here on earth must pale in comparison to the rejoicing that’s shared wherever you are, in the fullness of your glorious life. Are you not the source of all joy? The one in whom our very own light and life are found? Are you not the one who turns mourning into dancing? May it be so, Happy God, that our faces will beam and your glory redound. Amen.

Call to Action

Prove it true in my life today: smiles are contagious!