Anna and I were greeted by Elias and his fourteen months old daughter Joanna, at the car park a few days back. Seeing us Joanna smiled profusely which disarmed us of our hurry to go to the the biometric reader to punch our arrival on time.
On several occasions this smile returned to me during the day. It brought refreshment as I recollected the self-giving, captivating and affectionate smile which was freely gifted to us in the morning.
I have often thought of the smile of a child as a treasurable gift because it is genuinely a message of joy and gladness.
A child is carefree while growing up in a secure and caring environment . Such children would spontaneously convey the inner fullness of happiness. The smile is an overflow of the inner wellness and contentment!
Men and women are desperate for happiness for which they strive and struggle! They drive themselves to find happiness only to discover often that they have exhausted themselves by trying.
The sense of wellness or contentment or gladness is a gift that others bring to us. At the first Christmas at Bethlehem, the shepherds who 'stayed out' watching over their flock at night were greeted by an angel that Christ the saviour was born for them! They were overjoyed by this after an initial sense of fear. They set out to see this baby because they wanted to celebrate this joy.
God gives us joy so that we can gift it away to others. The more we share joy with others the more we become joyful. It is only as much as we turn the focus to make others joyful, we can experience the fullness of joy!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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