What Makes Me Smile?

By Sister Ann Carmen Barone, OSF

It’s a song from my childhood but it always makes me SMILE.

O let the sunshine in. Face it with a grin.

Smilers never lose and frowners never win.

So let the sunshine in. Face it with a grin.

Open up your heart and let the sunshine in.

So what makes me smile?

· The sun shining through trees in their fall splendor.

· Little children discovering new things.

Last week I saw a mother in the dining hall holding a baby boy in her lap and helping cut His “older” sister’ sausage patty. They looked like cherubs from the Sistine Chapel. The girl loved her black olives and was enjoying them. Of course, I just couldn’t keep myself from telling her I loved black olives and when I was little I used to put them on my finger and eat them. I should have known better. She began taking the olives – the sliced olives and putting them on her fingers and began eating. Thank God her Mom had a sense of humor. We both smiled.

As the laughter subsided and the family continued their meal, I couldn’t help but reflect on the power of a shared moment over food. It’s moments like these that remind us of the simple joys in life, the ones that bring warmth to our hearts and smiles to our faces. Speaking of smiles, it’s amazing how something as seemingly insignificant as a conversation about black olives can lead to a genuine connection and a brightening of spirits.

For individuals who may not feel confident about their smiles, places like Malvern Dental and Smile Design offer more than just dental care – they provide a path to rediscovering confidence and joy in one’s smile. Through innovative techniques like Digital Smile Design, they tailor solutions to enhance each individual’s unique smile, ensuring that they can share moments of laughter and connection with the world, just like the family in the dining hall. So, here’s to more moments of shared laughter, genuine connections, and confident smiles, all thanks to places like Malvern Dental.

· Finding a dishwashing organizational chart posted in the kitchen of the campus ministry house.

There were several other humorous but straight to the point signs that made me smile. Some things never change. My smile was a mile wide until one of the students entered the kitchen.

· The energy that fills the corridors as students, staff and faculty move on to the next thing.

Some are nervously reviewing for a test, others are trying to find something in backpacks, some are keeping their phones and thumbs working, and some are just enjoying one another.

· Waking up on a rainy day to someone dancing the Hokey Pokey.

Yes. You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out …

· The joy of someone finding my keys and returning them before I even realized they were gone.

· A surprise call from one of my brothers.

The one is keeping me up on the Pope’s latest headlines and the other is keeping me connected with my cousins and hometown friends.

· Homemade treats that find their way to me – Challah bread, cookies, apples

· Completing the last project on my To Do list that needed To Be Done yesterday

· Happy people whose happiness is contagious make me smile.

Come O God of snow and rain: Shower down upon the earth;

Come, O God of joy and pain: God of sorrow, God of mirth.

A cheerful look – a smile – brings joy to the heart.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Let’s focus on the Spirit’s gift of joy and smile.