{"id":2020,"date":"2014-05-28T19:06:47","date_gmt":"2014-05-28T19:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/?page_id=2020"},"modified":"2014-08-21T23:03:30","modified_gmt":"2014-08-21T23:03:30","slug":"smile","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/smile\/","title":{"rendered":"SMILE"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-2020-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/in-the-ghetto.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/in-the-ghetto.mp3\">http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/in-the-ghetto.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-row\">\n<div class=\"su-column su-column-size-1-2\"><div class=\"su-column-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/homeless-people-sleep-under-blankets-mid-day-17562101.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2069\" src=\"http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/homeless-people-sleep-under-blankets-mid-day-17562101.jpg\" alt=\"http:\/\/www.dreamstime.com\/stock-image-homeless-people-sleep-under-blankets-mid-day-image17562101\" width=\"213\" height=\"160\" \/><\/a> <\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"su-column su-column-size-1-2\"><div class=\"su-column-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\"> <span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva;\">author sadly unknown<\/span><\/strong><\/span>. <\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva; font-size: 14pt;\">I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently\u00a0 completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was\u00a0Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish\u00a0 every human being had been graced with.\u00a0Her last project of the term was called &#8220;Smile.&#8221; The class was asked to go out and smile at three people\u00a0 and document their reactions.\u00a0 I am a very friendly person and always\u00a0 smile at everyone and say hello anyway, so, I thought, this would be a\u00a0piece of cake, literally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva; font-size: 14pt;\">Soon after we were assigned the project, my\u00a0 husband,\u00a0youngest son, and I went out to McDonald&#8217;s one crisp March morning. It was just our way of sharing special play time with our son. We were\u00a0 standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an\u00a0 inch&#8230;an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I\u00a0 turned to see why they had moved. As I turned around I smelled a\u00a0horrible &#8220;dirty body&#8221; smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was &#8220;smiling.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva; font-size: 14pt;\">His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of\u00a0hope as he searched for acceptance. He said, &#8220;Good day&#8221; as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The second man fumbled with\u00a0 his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was\u00a0mentally challenged and the blue eyed gentleman was his salvation. I held my tears as I stood there with them. The young lady at the\u00a0 counter asked him what they wanted. He said, &#8220;Coffee is all Miss&#8221; because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something.\u00a0He just wanted to be warm).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva; font-size: 14pt;\">Then I really felt it &#8212; the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes.\u00a0 That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging\u00a0 my every action. I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to\u00a0 give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the\u00a0 tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue eyed gentleman&#8217;s cold hand. He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, &#8220;Thank you.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva; font-size: 14pt;\">I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, &#8220;I did not do this\u00a0 for you. The Creator is working through me to give you hope.&#8221; I started\u00a0 to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son.\u00a0 When I sat down\u00a0 my husband smiled at me. We held hands for a moment and at that time we knew that only because of the blessings that we had been given were we able to give.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva; font-size: 14pt;\">I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story\u00a0 in hand. I turned in &#8220;my project&#8221; and the instructor read\u00a0 it. Then she looked up at me and said, &#8220;Can I share this?&#8221;\u00a0 I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. She began to read and that is when I knew that we, as human beings need to help people. In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald&#8217;s, my husband, son, instructor, and every two-legged that shared the classroom on the last night I spent\u00a0as a college student.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva; font-size: 14pt;\">I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn:<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva; font-size: 14pt;\"> UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva; font-size: 14pt;\"> LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS &#8211; NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Many people will walk in and out or your life, but only true\u00a0 friends will leave footprints in your heart. To handle yourself, use your head; To handle others, use your heart. Anger is only one letter short of danger. Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The Creator gives every bird it&#8217;s food, but does not throw it\u00a0 into it&#8217;s nest. He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses\u00a0 more. Beautiful young people are acts of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. Learn from the mistakes of others. You can&#8217;t live long\u00a0enough to make them all yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The tongue weighs practically nothing, but so few people can\u00a0 hold it.\u00a0 Friends, you and me &#8230; you brought another friend &#8230; and then there were 3 &#8230; we started our group &#8230;. Our circle of friends &#8230; and like that circle &#8230; there is no beginning &#8230; there is no end.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class=\"su-row\">\n<div class=\"su-column su-column-size-1-2\"><div class=\"su-column-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/homeless-people-living-under-snow-23224667.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2070\" src=\"http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/homeless-people-living-under-snow-23224667.jpg\" alt=\"http:\/\/www.dreamstime.com\/royalty-free-stock-photography-homeless-people-living-under-snow-image23224667\" width=\"240\" height=\"160\" \/><\/a> <\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"su-column su-column-size-1-2\"><div class=\"su-column-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\"> <span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva; font-size: 14pt;\">I was going to leave this decades old page alone until I saw another of this administrations lies on the Christian Monitor.\u00a0 <strong><a title=\"homelessenes\" href=\"http:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Society\/2014\/0528\/Homelessness-declines-as-new-thinking-fuels-giant-untold-success\">Homelessness declines as new thinking fuels untold success.<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva; font-size: 14pt;\">Throw in &#8211; &#8216;no inflation &#8211; jobs have recovered &#8211; housing and GDP are up and a recent speech about not leaving a nation&#8217;s children encumbered in debt.&#8217; <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva; font-size: 14pt;\">Homelessness has NOT been dealt with and some communities have made draconian decisions to avoid dealing with this issue. Cities like San Jose, Boston, Baltimore simply do NOT have &#8216;the affordable housing&#8217; that this report lies about. These are your neighbors and they live in the gutter, under the by pass and in tent cities right next to you. At this moment Detroit and other US cities are bulldozing down thousands of homes with YOUR tax money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Trebuchet MS,Geneva; font-size: 14pt;\">Would it not be more sensible to make these into homestead grants and perhaps create a support group to aid them in their new found homes? A home based Peace Core, instead of another 5 billion to fund and fuel more external anti-terrorism alliances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I do not accept that there is no hope. I also recognize that in order for the planet to flourish humans need to accept the role of caretakers as this article shows. That includes taking care of each other. Poverty within human societies is the source of the vast majority of wars, civil unrest and environmental damage. We need corrections. And that requires new systems of thought, economics and better representation from our government.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I&#8217;m glad I&#8217;m getting older. I don&#8221;t see a bright future here.<a title=\"Soylent green\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Soylent_Green\"> Am ready to become a soylent green cracker<\/a>. <i><b>Make Room! Make Room indeed!<\/b><\/i><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/hands.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2076\" src=\"http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/hands.jpg\" alt=\"hands\" width=\"264\" height=\"188\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; \u00a0 I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently\u00a0 completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was\u00a0Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish\u00a0 every human &hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/sweetgeodes.com\/senft\/smile\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>SMILE - The Creator working to give you hope.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Smile, the creator, hope, the homeless, UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE. 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