It shouldn’t take a day on the calendar like today, #worldsmileday, to get each of us to smile every day. There’s so much to be grateful for that should cause a grin.

Every morning I thank God for my ability to walk, talk, see hear, breathe and just be because I know I didn’t have to wake up. This morning, I smiled when I woke up next the man I love, realized it was Friday, I wasn’t in a lot of pain for the first time in 3 days, and my family and I were about to take a weekend trip together.

Yesterday, a co-worker I hadn’t seen in a while brought candy in the shape of a happy face, my mother told me she loved me, I wrote about happy news and I made it through another day. Those were all great reasons to smile.

It’s hard for me to find my smile some days but I try. I smile through the pain caused my condition, the procedures its triggered and the difficulty walking because faith tells me suffering only lasts for a day. I smile through the loneliness because with God in my heart never alone. I smile through the aggravation and stress of life because the alternative, frowning or crying, wouldn’t make things any better. A smile on my face gives way to joy in my heart.

So, can’t you find a reason to smile today?

#chronicpain #noexcuses #worldsmileday #chronicillness #invisibleillness #autoimmunedisease #igg4 #faith #smile