RETURN THAT SMILE

Here is a verse to remind you that someone is smiling at you, thinking about you with love, wishing you well. Be open to these thoughts and feelings and never be afraid to smile back. Allow your inner peace to transcend daily chores, or those irritating moments when you can’t find a parking place, or all the myriad bits and bobs that can sometimes overwhelm us.

Just for a few moments close your eyes, take a deep breath and exhale. Allow serenity to flow through you. Your day will be less stressful and enjoyable. Remember someone is smiling at you, thinking about you with love. It may be a neighbour, a family member, a friend, a child, a deity you believe in, a universal power or an angel. Precious moments to grasp and hold.

GOD SMILED AT ME TODAY

God Smiled at me today,

A radiant smile which lit up the whole world

The sun’s rays, dancing moonbeams, through the windowpane.

God smiled at me today,

A refreshing smile which cleansed the earth and washed my dusty soul, Cleansing rain-drops from the heavens.

God smiled at me today,

And took pleasure in my pleasure

At the sound of music, the colours of the earth,

The joy of my children’s laughter and the love of my family,

All imbued with so much peace and joy,

God’s love.

God smiled at me today and opened my eyes.

He made me see,

He made me hear,

He made me,

God smiled at me today and

I smiled back.

SEEMS SIMPLISTIC

Our emotions colour everything we see, like the Autumn light which paints the landscape in shades of lustrous gold and pale pink – sometimes shades of grey or monochrome like a black and white photograph.

We panic or feel aggrieved when colour is seemingly leached from our lives; when the world seems grim and harsh. We get stuck in a mire of gloom and doom. Smiling is the last thing we feel like doing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Allow it! There is a time to grieve and time to heal. No matter how difficult it is, allow yourself to feel happy and smile.

Pause and think for a moment about what you would do if you were out walking and your feet got stuck in sludge, or you slipped on the wet leaves? You would feel numerous emotions: fear, anger, irritation, and perhaps shock.

What action would you take? You would make every effort to get out of this situation, or if you had slipped you would get up and carry on. And if you couldn’t get up what options do you have? Call out for help! Phone for help! You would do everything you possibly could to remove yourself from that situation.

There is always someone nearby who can help. Choose the option to reach out. Choose the option to ask. If you don’t ask for help you will never know the answer. Think about that. If you don’t smile at the world, it won’t smile back at you.

GIFT OF WORDS

I wrote this verse many years ago and it has been shared with people across the oceans. One lady who was Moslem asked me to write a verse for her. I told her I didn’t know anything about her religion and wouldn’t know what to write.

She picked out many of my spiritual verses and said with a smile: ‘Just change the word God to Allah.’ She became one of my best clients with weekly requests for ‘Gifts of Words’ – as I called them. The verses, God’s Signature and God Smiled at me Today, were the first ones she chose. She said they made her smile.

GOD’S SIGNATURE

Listen!

You can hear the wind rustle in the trees,

The sound of the rain, gently restoring, washing the earth’s plains.

Look!

You can see the sunlight, rainbow colours glinting, shining through the clouds. Feel!

The wind caress your face, the sun warm your heart.

The depth of the sea,

The glory of the skies,

The green of the leaves,

The Autumn barren-ness waiting to be renewed – reborn,

Yet rich in hues of gold and shades of brown.

Colours – colours of nature,

Nature in all its glory, in abundance.

Truly this is God,

God’s signature upon the earth.

BE CREATIVE

Did you know that SMILE is a mnemonic for remembering the fundamental elements of a poem?

S – Structure

M – Meaning

I – Imagery

L – Literary Devices

E – Effect

I’ve taken a bit of poetic licence with this mnemonic. Try and apply it to your life. Is the current structure of your daily life working for you? You can change it. Is there meaning in your life and what is it? Do you use mental imagery that will benefit your thoughts and actions? Think about a few of the literary devices poets use and write them into your story. Mood which we can alter with a palette of vibrant colours. Repetition of positive words and thoughts. Symbolism will add deeper meaning to your life. Effect can be your power to influence other people, and inner fulfilment for yourself. Your creation, your life, your choice.

SMILE

Sometimes it’s difficult to smile when you’re overwhelmed by grief or traumatic events in your life. Your inner voice may be telling you there’s no point and that you’ll never be happy ever again. Take one step at a time, one day at a time.

Exercising your smile-muscles will bring enormous benefits to your life. You will feel happier. You will bring joy into the lives of other people. Your inner power, serenity and beauty will be enhanced. Most of all every day will seem like a wonderful adventure whereby you seek out everything that makes you smile.

Today is the beginning of your Smile Journey. Every step you take will be buoyant. How amazing is that? Five letters that can change your life.

Read my blog – My Daily Habits