A Merry Heart

A Merry Heart

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. Proverbs 17:22

When my children and I lived in New York, we ventured down to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with friends—and countless thousands of others. It was an incredible day, seeing the displays that had long been part of our holiday traditions but, until then, only on TV. The best part of the day for me, though, was meeting a subway-elevator operator.

He spends long hours each day trapped in a box under the streets of New York City, breathing air thick with dirt and fumes. I wouldn’t have blamed him if he’d been grumpy and complained about being stuck underground. But he greeted us cheerfully and asked where we were from.

When he had delivered us to our requested level, he wished us well, asked us to come back again, and added a cheerful “I luv ya.”

Later, as we were waiting for the subway train, we could hear him singing as he strolled in front of the elevator, waiting for his next batch of passengers. Rather than allow himself to become embittered or discouraged by his lot in life, he chose to bring freshness and joy to those who shared his day, even for those few moments.

Since that long-ago day, I’ve often thought about him when I’m tempted to whine about my latest crisis. Here’s a thought: What if I didn’t fret aloud but became like that subway singer and gave others reason to smile at our common memory? —SANDRA

Lord, I want my surroundings to be pleasant, my days to be calm, my blessings to be abundant. But too often, stress is my companion, chaos fills my schedule, and grumpiness defines my attitude. Help me to concentrate on the good things in my life. And help me to pass that attitude and that example on to others who need a dose of encouragement.

If you see someone without a smile, give her one of yours.

—UNKNOWN