Don’t Forget to Smile

Though hast made known to me the way of life, thou shalt fill me with joy. – Psalm 16:11, DRB

Suffering, if it is accepted together, borne together, is joy. Remember that the Passion of Christ ends always in the joy of the Resurrection of Christ, so when you feel in your own heart the suffering of Christ, remember the Resurrection has to come—–the joy of Easter has to dawn. Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of the Risen Christ. – Mother Teresa

The darkness that we see over the world can sap away our hopes for a better future. Slowly, in the drudgery of everyday troubles and frustrations, we go weary of life. Our strength is exhausted; our hearts are broken with pain.

We almost forget that the sun still shines somewhere, that dark clouds cannot last. We almost forget that we have seen happy times also, and they can still come again.

Through all the difficulties of everyday life, forget not your memories of laughter. Through all the times of solitude, forget not the friendships you have shared.

Even if you think you have not been fortunate enough in the past, cling to the gift that is given you today. You are given life and with that life, an opportunity to find the greatest yearnings of your heart.

Don’t forget to smile. Smile for visions of hope, of love, and of new adventures. Smile for all the wonderful things that can still happen in your life.

‘It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered, full of darkness and danger they were. Sometimes you didn’t want to know the end, because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when there’s so much bad that had happened? But in the end it’s only a passing thing, this shadow; even darkness must pass.’ – Samwise Gamgee

Check Jocelyn's books:

"Of Waves and Butterflies: Poems on Grief", "Mend My Broken Heart", "Questions to God", "To Love an Invisible God", "Defending My Catholic Faith", and more - click here.

(You may freely quote excerpts from this website as long as due credit is given to author Jocelyn Soriano and the website itakeoffthemask.com)