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I was shaving this morning when I
noticed something interesting. I had just finished taking
off the previous day’s growth of beard and was putting on my
aftershave when my youngest boy came in and laughed at his
reflection. It is a game he loves to play, so I joined in
smiling and making faces in the mirror. It was then that I
noticed it. Whenever I smiled dozens of deep wrinkles would
appear around my eyes and my mouth. As soon as I made a
frown, though, all of them would disappear and only a few
"frown lines" would take their place. It seemed amazing
that I should have so many more wrinkles from smiling than
from frowning, but as I looked at myself I heard the gentle
voice of God in my thoughts saying, "Enjoy what you see.
The choices of your lifetime live in your face." This made
me smile even more and I took joy in knowing that my smiles
had so outnumbered my frowns in this life.
I, for one, never want a facelift or a
botox treatment no matter how wrinkled I get. Each wrinkle
is the evidence of thousands of smiles, of moments spent
laughing and loving, and of a life lived in joy and oneness
with God. It is good to know too that I can keep adding to
them all of my life. It is never too late to add a wrinkle
of happiness, kindness, and love to your face and show the
world the beautiful life you are living.
I hope that your face steadily grows
more wrinkled in all the right places then. I hope that
your frowns are few and far between and your smiles are many
and made with love. I hope that you can look in the mirror
and see the beautiful evidence of a life lived in love, in
joy, and in oneness with God. Always remember that God
wants you to laugh, God wants you to love, and God want you
to delight in those choices of goodness that show up so
gloriously in your life and in your face
(c) 2006 Joseph J. Mazzella |
