smilin'

One of my uncles had a conversation with me a while back that made me smile. We had been chatting about my schedule and how crazy busy I tend to keep myself and how many different things I've got on my very full plate. He looked at me and said, "...and here you are, still smiling."

So maybe my smile is a bit like the Mad Hatter's: crazy and wild-eyed, but it stems from something much deeper than all that's going on in life. And it's genuine.

That smile that symbolizes my outlook on life, it comes not from finding perfection, but contentment. 

I don't have it all. 

My life isn't perfect. 

There are battles and struggles daily. 

And some days life chews me up and spits me out.

But.

I am content.

Why?

Because I have realized that there is no greater satisfaction to be found than to give of myself. 

To those I love.

To my family.

To my friends.

To strangers.

And even to people who have irritated/frustrated/upset me...(although I'll admit I'm not so good at giving to them.)

And by "give" I don't just mean "stuff and things." 

I mean give my time, my effort, my abilities, my ears to listen, and my heart.

There is so much more that we can give besides "stuff."

When I was a kiddo at Christmas time, I would never have imagined myself saying this and believing it but: it is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35. WAY more blessed. 

Try it. 

Little by little: give.

It'll become a habit.

And then: BOOM! 

Contentment starts to sneak in.

KC