The best smile is the one that lights up your life and the world around you.
A few days ago, my wife started talking about our past romance and courtship. She asked me, “What made you choose me?” I answered back, “Because you are the most beautiful girl in school.” We both smiled, then laughed. Then I asked her, “What about you?” She started by telling me how her parents thought it was strange that all of a sudden she started dating. They asked her what is it that she saw in me that she didn’t see with her earlier admirers . She answered my question by saying, “I told them you were simple and kind.” I looked at her, smiled and said, “Oh, I thought it was because I was irresistible.” As we both laughed, I reflected on what she said and told myself, “I’m so lucky that she chose me with her heart.”
I came from work this morning just physically and mentally tired. It was one of those 12 hour night shift work of dread. I barely put down my coffee mug when I had to take care of a critical, difficult patient. The crazy domino effect carried on till I clocked out. We call it “Full Moon” even if it’s not an actual full moon. It’s a night when crazy things happen. Unfortunately, it’s not the fun kind but rather something that drains you out of energy and optimism. Something that makes you say, “Can’t wait for this to be over and just go home.”
On my way to the parking lot, my wife called and said, “Just wait for me and our son outside the house.” She then asked me, “How’s work?” I replied, “busy.”
As my wife and son approached the car, they both gave me a beautiful smile that glowed like sunshine. In an instant, all the tiredness and exhaustion I was feeling melted away. I somehow forgot the crazy 12 hours that just happened and simply moved on to the brand new day’s exciting surprise. My son kissed me goodbye before he got out the car and walked towards his classroom.
My reasons for smiling.
Everyday, we experience events that can wore us down or make us feel tired, sad, depressed, exhausted, even angry or upset but somehow, someone’s smile and loving, kind gestures soothes them away. Their smile made our hearts smile and when that happens we feel an overflowing joy and peace that inspire us to go through life.
My wife when she was about 2 years old. She and my son have a similar bright, happy and beautiful smile that gives color to my day.
A smile is a gift. A gift that brings inspiration to those who embrace it whole heartedly. It lights up every gray cloud and dark corners of our being. It help us reach for the brightest stars the we can find. It brings forth hope, calmness and healing. It lights up our life and the world around us in the most beautiful way. It is true when they say, “Smile and the whole world smiles with you.”
Before going to bed, I smiled happily knowing that at the end of the day, no matter how hard things may seem, I have the two most wonderful, generous people by my side to help me go through life’s challenges. Two people whose smile brings out the best in me.
Thank you once again for sharing your day with me. May this post inspire you to embrace and see the beautiful images around you. May you capture these images not only with your camera but with your heart.
What are your reasons for smiling everyday? Who gives you the most wonderful smile that takes away all you worries, aches and pain? Whose smile gave you the inspiration to reach for your star and follow your dream?
Today, discover the inspiring world of these blogger friends. Their zest for life, their families, their environment and most of all their faith are priceless treasures that will bring a smile to your day.
Indira of http://amaltaas.wordpress.com/2012/10/13/weekly-image-of-life-october-magic/
The Guat of http://thewishfactor.wordpress.com/2012/10/13/weekly-image-of-life-october-magic/
Francine of http://francineinretirement.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/blennerhassett-mansion-by-candlelight/
Cathy G of http://cpgutierrez.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/october-magic-2/
Helen “Knittinggalore” of http://citylifepicture.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/weekly-image-of-life-october-magic/
Deepa of http://perceptionsofareluctanthomemaker.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/elephant-procession/
GB “GoBetween” http://gobetweenflames.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/weekly-image-of-life-october-magic/
Patricia of http://lifeofaministermom.com/2012/10/17/weekly-image-of-life-october-magic/
Cynkingfeeling of http://cynk.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/october-magic-walking-after-dark/
For those who wish to join in this week’s challenge, here’s a link and the widget. Have a great time making wonderful memories.
http://thismansjourney.net/2012/06/13/weekly-image-of-life-happiness/
My friends, have fun discovering and creating the most beautiful images everyday. They are a part of the unforgettable memories you make in this lifetime. Memories that will make you smile, laugh, feel appreciative of our blessings.
Simply beautiful! It is the attitude you choose to embrace, the good you choose to focus on and the people you choose to make a part of your life that truly makes life. I am glad your life has such wonderful smiles on such sweet beautiful people. Smile.
Thank you. I had my shares of pains but I realized one day that celebrating the good and what brings a smile to my day is a way better choice to live my life.
What a lovely family! Don’t ever lose that feeling…the one that makes you melt and forget about how complicated life can be. Simple is summed up in an embrace of smiles and kisses.
I have two nephews (I don’t have children of my own), and they absolutely light up my day. Their giggles are infectious, their hugs sincere, their attention mine. They make me feel completely different about life when I’m around them, and I love that.
Thank you Cassbee. Kids reminds us how to be happy or what real happiness truly means. My son reminds me that life can be fun and amazing if I wanted it to be.
all of your posts are special, but this one is exceptional! what a beautiful testimony to your wife and son; by sharing, you also reveal a huge slice of your beautiful and honest soul.
great work! thanks to you, an amazing assortment of smiles is about to light up the wordpress world!
lisa/z
Thanks Z. This is the beauty of blogging. We get to share ourselves in a more personal way and people accept us for who we are without judgement. One of the many reasons to smile about.
Hi! I think this is the first time I’ve actually seen your family’s faces in your photos! What beautiful smiles indeed and a wonderful post!
The person I am with also makes me smile. I’ve never been so happy before, I just feel so much joy and contentment being able sit beside him and hold his hand
Thank you.People that touch our lives are our reasons for smiling in the most beautiful and happy way. With them around, nothing else seems to matter….
Your wife and son’s smiles are beautiful…that must make YOU smile to even think about them. Have a great weekend.
They do Angeline. They are my reason for facing each day with hope…and yes, lots of smiles. Thank you. Have a great weekend as well.
Awesome.
Thank you. It was awesome seeing them smile and looking all happy.
I feel honored to read your “smile” day. It is Wonderful to read how you appreciate a smile although you are so very tired.
Thanks. A smile can do a lot of wonders.
I love the smiles here. What a happy post. Your family is beautiful.
Thank you Imelda. Family makes us beautiful inside and out. They inspire us in everything. Best wishes to your family.
I hope you soon felt rested and ready to enjoy those lovely smiles when you woke up!
Thank you. I did. I had 3 days to create wonderful moments with them without the worries of work.
Thanks friend, your post made me smile today. Nice smiling photographs. Thanks for mentioning me. Smiling faces of your family and friends always dispels tiredness and grudge. Keep smiling, have a nice weekend.
Thanks Indira.It is an honor and a joy to mention your post. They always celebrate life, family, of a rich culture that brings a smile to my day. Have a great weekend as well.
You are such an incurable romantic. I hope that when you’re both 90 and can’t see nor hear well anymore, you’ll still try to envision the enigmatic smiles!
I hope so. When I read your everyday life with your husband and stories you shared together, I am all the more inspired that love can last forever.
Such smiles can do nothing more than place a big smile on my face…. if more people smiled at each other .. this world would just be such a better place… I love this post.. thank you…
Bro, I totally agree, “if more people smiled at each other .. this world would just be such a better place.” A lot of us gets so tied up with the demands of the world that we forget the basic secrets of a happy heart. Smile is one of them.
You write beautifully how a heartfelt smile can make all the difference in how you’re feeling about your life. Thanks for this post. Wishing you and your family a wonderful weekend!
Thanks AuntYuta. I wish you and your family all the wonderful blessings as well. Family and friends and the joy they bring into our lives are one of our main reasons for smiling, everyday as much as possible.
Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Silhouette, Couples & Smiles « Canadiantravelbugs's Blog
I agree with bulldogsturf…smiles are important. And hey you can smile in any language and it can make someone’s day.
Check out my post where I combine this theme and 2 others
https://canadiantravelbugs.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/weekly-photo-challenge-silhouette-couples-smiles/
Love your post. It celebrates our reasons for smiling and for being happy. The shadow of the couple standing on the sand I can totally relate. Holding hands, watching the sea, sharing an endless love and many dreams. Priceless, right? Thanks.
Yes a smile to me says a thousand things… I smile at people as I pass by no matter where I am. Each morning I pass by the street sweepers and most people treat them as invisible… all the more reason to smile at them since their job is just as important as anyone else.
The guards all know me at school now because I always smile and say hello.
The couple is me and hubby… he always makes me smile.
What a blessed and wonderful thing to come home to. I’m smiling back at you
Thanks Georgette. Thanks for sharing your smile as well. If only everyone we meet smiles, this world will be one happier, kinder place to live. Let’s start the positive chain effect…
A smile is a powerful human quality to change behavior and mood. Your images reflect its effects on us, and you’ve created another record of your story. Thanks.
Thank you. Everyday, we have an opportunity to make beautiful moments last forever in our memory and the posts we make.
Pingback: WEEKLY IMAGE OF LIFE: SMILE « Francine In Retirement
Your photos have lighten up my life with a smile. Here is my entry. http://wp.me/p23TG1-1vy
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
Thank you. Your inspiring posts does the same my friend. Always a delight to read them.
Beautiful photos of your family make me smile! Your wife is beautiful and your son is such a good looking boy. Thank you for sharing your story, IT! Hope you get some rest and have fun this weekend!
Thanks Amy. I did have some rest for the weekend. Yes, they do have the most beautiful smiles. The people that means to us the most have the most amazing smiles!
I so enjoyed reading this. It’s wonderful to keep the romance alive in your relationship.
Love the happy smiles. Beautiful photos. 
Thank you. I think we all need to keep the romance alive. It may not be all chocolates and roses everyday but we have to find a way to keep the spark burning, more that life is more challeging nowadays.
Very true.
Beautiful and uplifting post.
Thank you. They are my reasons for smiling.
Pingback: Smile! « Comments from Cathy
What a wonderful topic! Thanks for sharing – here’s my entry!
http://wp.me/p1OXNv-si
It is a beautiful entry Cathy that celebrates family , heritage and traditions that makes us unique and special. I can always feel your joys and excitement whenever you share your family and that is really beautiful. Always makes me smile.Thanks.
Thanks! Your comment puts an interesting perspective on the topic! I’ll see what I can do!
Your son looks very much like your wife in her 2-year old photo. Beautiful thoughts for everyday, lucky you!
He does. People kept saying he looks like me after we cut his hair way short like mine but then when they see her child picture, they would say, “Oh, she actually looks like her.” Like pea in a pod mirror-like resemblance. Thanks Bebs.
Pingback: Weekly Image Of Life: Smile « बंजारा
Hi friend, here is my entry- http://amaltaas.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/weekly-image-of-life-smile/
Have a nice Sunday.
Your post me me smile my friend. This words are so true,”Most genuine smile is that which reaches ones eyes.” Your sketches are beautiful and showed a pure, generous , loving soul. The eyes does shows what the heart feels. When the heart smiles, the eyes smile and twinkle. Have a blessed week with lots of wonderful smiles.
This is so very beautiful–I broke out into a big smile while reading it. My husband and children make me smile for sure, as do my closest friends. And as you know, joy is infectious!
I agree, joy is infectious. And yes, friends and family are our top reasons for smiling . So is an inspiring moment with our God. Thanks.
i love all your photos.. beautiful smile.. by the way, here’s my entry for this week’s theme – smile… this post is dedicated to blondie, a very friendly and sweet dog..
http://starlight427.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/weekly-image-of-life-smile/
thank you for the inspiration.
Love your entry. Blondie does have the most adorable smile that lights up with joy. A smile we all wish to see after a hard day at work or when things gets gloomy. Beautiful post. Have a blessed day….with lots of happy smiles!
Pingback: Weekly Image of Life: Smile « The Wish Factor
Great pics. I’m sure you’re not surprised that I say this because I always love what you shoot, but nevertheless they’re still great. I especially love that collage.
Here’s my take on your Weekly Image of Life … hope you enjoy
http://thewishfactor.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/weekly-image-of-life-smile/
I enjoyed making the collage. Gave me a reason to remember the fun and happy memories we had with each photo. Thanks for sharing a beautiful entry that lights up our day!
Pingback: Weekly Image Of Life: Smile « City Life Picture
Your photos always make me smile. Here is mine http://citylifepicture.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/weekly-image-of-life-smile/
Thank you. Your posts inspires me as well. Have a great week.
This post is really a sweet one and the photos made me smile too. I can feel the love from where I’m sitting right now. It’s good to read things like this, of a father and husband who is very loving and proud of his family. I wish that someday, when I will have a family of my own, I’ll be admired, loved, and appreciated just like your wife.
I do know that one day, you will feel all the love , joy and appreciation when you have your own family. You have a generous, kind, loving heart and that carries on through the years. Thank you and have a great week.
I really hope so too. Your wonderful stories and photos of your family is a wonderful reminder and example of what having a family should feel like.
Thank you for sharing. Family is everything. They make us smile when no one can.
Pingback: SMILE: Weekly Image of Life « Zeebra Designs & Destinations
I’m so glad you shared their smiling faces. What a beautiful family. What a sweet lovely post.
but I’m so sorry you work so hard IT. I respect and admire you for staying up all night helping a critical ill patient. The world needs dedicated people like yourself. Thank you!
Thank you. I’d been in the E.D. for 9 years and somehow I don’t see myself venturing into other units. Destiny? Thanks again for the kind and generous comments. Have a blessed day and best wishes to your family.
I can’t help but smile and be happy for you, you have such a wonderful family! They’re more than enough reason to keep you smiling until you’re old and grey
i think even after a life time!
Thanks Aian. Yes, our family are our reasons for smiling each day. Best wishes to you and your love ones.
Your son has the cutest smile… what a handsome young man.
Thank you. He got his smile from his mom. I wasn’t really that cute when I was his age. Ha, ha, ha.
And your beautiful wife too… How could I forget her… gorgeous!
Thank you. She is beautiful inside and out. They say I am so lucky…indeed I am!
I agree, that smile is a gift. Who knows, sometimes can even safe somebody’s life.
An inspiring smile goes a long way. I agree, it can change someones life when it happens at a perfect timing when that person needed it the most. Thanks Sabina.
How you approach life and find happiness and strength in those people who hold so much importance in your life is something wonderful. While I was going through your words and these beautiful happy pictures of your family members, believe me I had a smile on my face. I hope that’s what happiness is all about. A smile that comes from deep inside and appears on a human;s face transmits to the others face too. Thanks a lot bro for spreading that smile and happiness across the blog world.
Thanks Bro. Your words always sounds comforting, honest and comes from the heart. I could also see from your post how you value family. In the end, what matters is that we are close to them and cherishing each smile they give into our lives.
Pingback: Weekly Image of Life: Smile (In Honor of My Father’s Grin…) « Life of a Minister Mom
Your wife is GORGEOUS, and oh how your son looks like him!! These pictures go beyond words. A smile can change your mindset, attitude, direction, and even your life. You are blessed to be surrounded my smiles that our full of love and gratitude for the incredible husband anf father you are! I fought through some tears of joy with my post this week. I’ve done so in honor of my father and I pray it brings a smile to your face!!
http://wp.me/p2uDC0-jP
God bless you and your family my friend!
Patricia
I love your post about your dad. It is a celebration of how much you love and appreciate him. The joys, the memories, the priceless things you both shared through the highs and lows of life, all these were well celebrated in your post. I did a post about my parents too in the past and just like you, I can’t help but shed a few tears realizing how much they love me and my siblings and how they set aside their comforts so we all can have a better life. Thanks for sharing. God bless you and your family.
HER!!! Your son looks like her!! Sorry for the typo.
Sweet! Sweet! Sweet! What joy in these smiles and love. Lots of love here.
Thanks Angelia. Love is all we need , right?
hi, IT! you just made me SMILE at the beautiful photos of your loved ones … each smile on their faces showed so much warmth and love! you captured the beauty of their hearts, thank you for sharing them with us
and here is my part in your weekly image, i hope i can make your heart SMILE as well: http://alwaysbobswife.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/weekly-image-of-life-smile/
Thanks so much for checking out my lifestyle blog Bmore Energy, https://bmoreenergy.wordpress.com. I love your beautiful photos and inspiring words!
Thanks so much for checking out my lifestyle blog Bmore Enegy, https://bmoreenergy.wordpress.com. I love your beautiful photos and inspirational words!
It’s a joy to go through your post. Beautiful images and writings. A delightful treat page after page.
Hi, I wanted to tell you I’ve nominated you for the Beautiful Blogger Award. I enjoy your beautiful photos and inspiring words about your family. Take care
http://choosemyway.wordpress.com/2012/10/28/beautiful-blogger-award/
Thanks for sharing this award. Always an inspiration to have one. Congratulations as well. Wishing you all the best.