How to have a joyful day

My Mom was a 
'glass-is-half-full' kind of 
person. She loved to 
laugh, and she loved 
to make other people 
laugh. It brought her 
joy when she could 
bring laughter to other 
people - to lighten 
their load, so to speak. 

Proverbs 17:22(a)  
A merry heart doeth 
good like a medicine:

If you take a moment to 
glance at other people 
around you - in stores, 
on the streets, in your 
office, or anywhere, 
you will see some 
pretty unhappy faces, 
for the most part.

My Mom's motto was, 
"What joy can I spread 
today?" I learned from 
her that just by showing 
the tiniest bit of interest 
in other people, you 
might just 'make their 
day'. But, just as 
importantly, it will make 
you feel lighter because 
you lifted another's 
burden just by showing 
you cared. Even if it is 
just something as small 
as a smile, 
complimenting a 
dress or hairdo, or 
just asking the cashier 
how they are doing or 
what kind of a day they 
are having. It might be 
the only nice thing that 
happened to them that 
day! I believe what 
the Bible says, "You 
reap what you sow" 
(Galatians 6:7). If you 
spread some sunshine, 
it will make you feel 
good about yourself, 
and brighten your day. 
Try it; it works!

I believe that if you look 
closely enough, you will 
see that there are lots 
of hurting people that 
are a lot worse off than 
you are. I know when 
I start having a 'pity 
party' for myself, 
someone else tells 
me their troubles, and 
mine seem so much 
smaller. If I stop 
focusing on me, and 
think of others - I forget 
about my problems at 
the same time. 
Wouldn't it be great 
if we each practiced 
spreading joy every 
day? What a difference 
we could make!

And my Mom taught 
me to pray for others, 
too, even if I don't 
know them. Prayer has 
proven to make a 
difference in many lives. 
For example, I pray every 
time I hear an ambulance, 
fire truck, or police siren - 
first that the drivers will 
arrive safely, and 
secondly that the people 
in trouble are not 
seriously hurt. I even 
pray for bicyclists along 
the road - that they 
arrive at their destination 
safely. It may sound silly, 
but I keep thinking, 
"What if that were my 
kid on that bike or 
driving that emergency 
vehicle, I'd want as 
many people as possible 
to be praying for their 
safety. It's kind of a 'Do 
unto others as you 
would have them do 
unto you' thing 
(Matthew 7:12).

So I hope you'll try out 
my Mom's "motto" for 
yourself - and see 
what joy you can bring
into someone else's life 
today and every day 
and notice the difference 
it will make in your 
attitude, and how well 
your day goes from 
then on. It will put a 
spring in your step; I 
guarantee it. I hope 
you have a joyful day! 
Keep smiling, and 
spread it around!  :)