A Reason To Smile

I just got back from my cousin's funeral. He died two months to the day after my brother-in-law. They were both diagnosed with cancer within a couple of months of each other too. And my brother-in-law was 54. My cousin was 53. They also had similar types of cancer. Though my brother-in-law seemed to beat his and then had a stroke. But the point of this is not to wonder why some people live to be 100 and others get taken away much earlier. The point is that life goes on and I had a reminder of that in church today. There was a little girl--probably just a bit younger than my 2 year-old daughter--a couple of rows in front of us who kept turning around and smiling and making noise, as most kids her age do. Some people probably would have frowned on parents bringing such young children to a funeral, but I was so glad she was there. My kids were at home with my husband, and I was thankful I didn't have to drag them along, but at the same time, when I saw that girl it made me smile.



Usually I don't find anything to smile about during funerals, but I was grateful that I had a reason to today. First, my sister's cell phone rang--she thought she remembered to shut it off, but apparently forgot--and that brought me out of my second round of crying. Then as I was on the verge of tears again, the little girl made her happy noises and I smiled instead. It reminded me that life goes on and there will always be children to make us see why we have to go on even when things seem unbearable.



So next time you're somewhere in public and are disrupted by the cry of a baby or the high-pitched yell of a child, instead of wondering why their parents didn't leave them with a babysitter, remember to smile. Children know how to enjoy life. We can all take a lesson from them, have as much fun as possible and make the most of the time we have. You never know when it could be up.



Till next time. Be prepared for the best.