 |
 |
Question:
first i want to say how happy i am to have met u. your book is amazing so far and i dont want it to end. you may think its a strange question but my 4 year old son always wants me to smile and i wish i can always have a smile on my face he becomes more esy going and the atmosphere in the house is more easy going. but i dont know how and i noticed and loved the way u were always smiling as u talked it never came off your face. i wish i can be like that just have a permanant smile. is that just natural or you have to work on it and if so how. can you pass to me your tools to always have a smile on my face it would help us so much. thanks and gd bless u!!!!
Answer:
it is amazing for me to hear your question because my mother, in her speeches , tells about a question she was asked after a lecture: does your smile start inside and then appear on your face or do you smile and then feel it?. Your question is so similiar, and what I would like to tell you is that smiling and showing 'simcha', joy, to others is not easy at all.We all have our challenges and worries, no doubt. And it is not simple to give off joy when we ourselves do not feel it. But one of our greatest gifts that we can give our children (and ourselves) is the gift of joy.And the way to do it is to begin with a smile, and a happy face-even if and especially when we are troubled or do not feel like it. because otherwise we become moody or down and build homes that are sad, or dark, or just not happy and 'blah'.Our Sages teach us that better then the white of milk is the white of teeth-meaning more important for the body and soul then milk is a sweet smile. You can have the most delicious dinner prepared or the nicest home to live in but without a smile, it is all tasteless and meaningless. So i would tell you that yes, it is hard work to smile and give off joy , especially when we are weighed down with worries and challenges, but as my Zaydie would say:"Smile-cost nisht kein gelt'-it does not even cost you anything! so why not??And if you smile without any reason for smiling, the Breslov Rebbie would say, Hashem will give you a reason to smile! we all have some blessings to be happy about, so try to think about your life's blessings and then you can find your smile.your son is giving you such a great message and trying to communicate with you how much he needs your smiles. you can light up your home and illuminate it just with your smile. and then he in turn will absorb your lesson and smile and radiate joy himself. What a gift!If we keep in mind that we can change the world-our world in our homes, our families and all those we meet just with our smile, how can we not! and you will find that once you make an attempt to smile , others will react to your joy and smile back at you.
best wishes,
slovie
|
|
|
 |
|