Behind The Smile

Last weekend was picture day at the park for all the local soccer teams. The kids and I were walking up from the parking lot to where the photo tents were set up when I saw this young girl walking down the sidewalk toward us. She was by herself, sort of skipping along, and as she approached us she looked up and got the biggest smile on her face -- the kind of smile that you can't help smiling back at and thinking, "There's one happy kid."

And then I thought my heart might just stop. I realized that it was Shasta Groene, the 9-year-old girl who lost her mother and two brothers in an unspeakable act of horror last summer. I literally had to stop for a moment and hug my kids. My son wondered why I was getting teary-eyed, and all I could say was, "I just wanted you to know that I love you."

As I caught my breath, I looked back down the sidewalk and saw Shasta join her father at their car. She was happy to be in the park, happy to be with her dad, happy to be on a soccer team. I really truly hope that she keeps that happiness on the inside as well. Nobody can imagine the pain she's gone through, but if she can smile like she did at me and my family in the park, then maybe she's going to be okay.

There's also a lesson there for all of us... It's the easiest choice in the world to simply decide to be happy. You can come up with all sorts of excuses to be grumpy and cynical, but that state of mind takes way too much time and effort to maintain. Your life is good, admit it. Drop the whining and the complaining and just put a smile on your face. It'll change everything.