[00:04.73]I have recently completed my college degree.
[00:08.12]The last class I had to take was Sociology
[00:12.61]and the last project of the term was called “Smile”.
[00:16.88]The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.
[00:23.76]Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son,
[00:29.45]and I went out to McDonald’s, one crisp March morning.
[00:33.61]We were waiting to be served, when suddenly everyone around us began to back away.
[00:40.49]As I turned around to see what was happening
[00:44.24]I smelled a horrible “dirty body” smell...
[00:47.82]and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men.
[00:53.07]As I looked down at the blue-eyed gentleman, close to me, he was “smiling”.
[00:59.20]He said, “Good day” as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.
[01:04.23]The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend.
[01:09.37]I realized the second man was mentally handicapped
[01:14.99]and the blue-eyed gentle man was his protector.
[01:18.34]All he ordered was coffee because that was all they could afford
[01:23.69]to sit in the restaurant and warm up.
[01:25.86]Then I felt a strong compulsion to reach out and to embrace the blue-eyed man.
[01:31.66]That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me...
[01:36.81]judging every action.
[01:38.88]I smiled and asked for two more breakfasts.
[01:42.70]I put the tray on the table where the two men were seated
[01:46.56]and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand.
[01:50.71]He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Thank you.”
[01:55.42]I leaned over, began to hold his hand and said,
[01:59.24]“God is here working through me to give you hope.”
[02:02.96]When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said,
[02:07.12]“That is why God gave you to me, Honey...to give me hope.”
[02:11.93]I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.
[02:17.62]I turned in “my project” and we shared the story in the class...
[02:22.43]It is then that I knew that we,
[02:25.74]as human beings share this need to heal people and be healed.
[02:30.19]In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald’s,
[02:34.35]my husband, son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom.
[02:39.93]I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn—
[02:44.69]Unconditional Acceptance!
