Sowing the Seed of a Smile

Happy First Day Of Spring!!!  I have awaited this day forever it seems like.  I did my walk for lunch and decided to sit down at the Shoppes and read.

As I sat in an out of the way area, a little lady sat down two tables away from me.   Initially I did not pay attention, but at some point I found myself making eye contact for a mere second and I smiled and said Hi. I was raised to not talk to strangers, but this lady was no stranger….or so it seemed.  There was a sense of familiarity about her, although I have never seen or met her before.

She quietly asked if she could share something with me and I said sure. She spoke to me about the man on the corner who eternally sings “can you spare a penny please”.  Someone had given him a one hundred dollar bill.  She shared with me that the man was so happy, he jumped for joy and there was a crowd around him, joining him in the celebration.  The gentleman who gave him the money told him to put it away and was concerned that someone might take it from him. She smiled as she shared this with me and at this point I closed my book. I sensed that this little lady had something to share with me.  She had planted a seed of curiosity in my head.  This woman who just happened to appear, a retiree from the US Postal Service, planted a smiling face in my world this afternoon because she knew that it would take root and begin to grow.  I shared with her that a story like that restores my sense in human kind.  This lady’s name was Ann Mason. 

Ann shared with me that while taking care of her 90+ year old Mother, the lady that shared a room with her Mom was paying attention. When Ann’s Mom wanted some thing to drink, she got it…if she wanted something sweet to eat…Ann got it for her Mother, like any daughter  would.  This lady told her that if she ever felt inclined to call her, she would appreciate it. She marveled at the care and attention that Ann gave her Mom.  Ann had planted a seed of kindness, the seed of a smile and did not even know it. Flash forward six months or so after Ann’s mom passed away, Ann called this lady.  Now, it has been 7 years that she has been in this lady’s life as her caretaker and friend.  Ann was not looking for a job or a friend, but by planting a seed of a smile, a seed of being helpful, showing kindness, sharing compassion and loving care – she gained a friend, employment and the joy of sharing what happens when you sow a seed of kindness ….and what the outcome can be.

I will look for Ann Mason in the eating area of The Shoppes, as she informed me that she is there three days a week around the same time.  I think that this angelic woman was put in my personal garden plot at a time when I needed to have my faith in humanity restored, by knowing that good things can happen, without reason, but that the seed must be planted first.

Have you planted a seed of happiness today? A smile, a loving nod or just a simple Hello?  Life is short, take a little time to attend to the personal garden that surrounds us all.  Pull out the weeds, feed the plants (people) you love and always be prepared to receive the gift of a new addition to your garden……it just might come in the form of an Ann Mason.

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