How much is a smile worth? A cent? One dollar? One million? Well, something has to be worth, right?
Of course, yes, but no one could fix the price of a smile. Or do you think you could do it? The truth is that placing a price would immediately lose its value. However, sometimes a smile is very valuable.
Many years ago, in one of the poorest streets of New York, there lived a young girl named Ana. She was eleven years old and her cheerful little face often shone a ray of happiness in the lives of many sad people who saw her pass by. the street.
One day Ana attended a children's program at a nearby church. I had been there many times in some meetings. But this time she herself had to take part in a program. You can imagine how happy he felt.
Now, it happened that a well-known doctor was among the public. He was one of the people who contributed monetarily to the work of the church. She will never know if that day she felt lonely or sad, but somehow her heart was touched while she contemplated the smiley face of Ana. Suddenly, the girl turned and looked directly at him, smiled. The man thought he had never seen anything so beautiful as that smile. When he returned home, he felt happier and better than before.
That doctor never forgot that smile. He lived in his memory every day of his life, until death closed his eyes.
When his testament was read, the executors of it were astonished to see that he had left all his money - and it was a very rich individual - not his relatives, because he had none; nor to a hospital or mission, as he could have done. But, as his testament said in his own words, "to those who have given me happiness during my life".
On the list was the name of Ana, the young girl who had smiled on the church program 20 years ago. He left her 150,000 dollars!
Let's think about that: 150,000 for a smile! I can almost hear you say, "I want my smiles to have that value!" Actually they are valuable, but not necessarily in money.
Think of the happiness they mean for your parents. Your smiles help them carry their burdens more easily and also make them live longer. Is not that something?
The smiles make the wheels of family life move very smoothly. While bad times, sour faces and dislikes are like sand, which with its roughness cause many difficulties.
The cheerful heart is a good remedy; But a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17:22
Suppose that one day you smile at someone who feels very sad and discouraged and that your smile also makes her smile; How much is that gesture worth? You probably never know, but for that person it could mean everything; a decisive change of direction in the dark and lonely path of his life. In our days there are many people like that, who have given up all hope that someone would smile at them again.
Do not you want to see how much good you can do with your smiles? Your efforts will produce a reward without limits.
