Special Message from Pastor Bob
Dear people of God:
I got a laugh and a tear from a cartoon in yesterday’s papers. It was Stephan Pastis’ Pearls Before Swine and you can see the cartoon here: https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2020/04/16.
Or, here’s a narrative of it. In the first panel, we see Pig walking and carrying a sign. In the second panel, Pig walks up to Goat’s window and holds up the sign, which reads, “Smiles are contagious too.” In panel three, Pig and Goat smile at each other through the window. And in the fourth panel Pig walks on, humming a tune.
Whenever time and weather have permitted, I’ve continued my running. Since the closing of parks, I can’t drive to some of my favorite places, but from the Church-house I can easily go to the Big Papio Trail for a run. Usually, I’ve found, runners have continued to smile and wave at each other as we pass, although we try to keep a responsible distance from each other.
I had to stop by a store the other day for some supplies, and wore one of the great masks Kathleen made for me. I apologized to the proprietor that she couldn’t see me smile at her. It probably helped her that I said it. It’s true, though, that we can smile with our whole face, so that it will show in our eyes. Maybe that’s something to learn during this emergency: to smile with our whole face, not just with the mouth.
After all, “Smiles are contagious too.”
Pastor Bob
During the COVID-19 restrictions, I will post special messages from time to time. This one is from April 17, 2020.
So true! A neighbor up the street is working from home, and on one of my walks she came running out of the house so we could talk (at a distance). We never know who may be watching us and catch us smiling, so now I often wave when I pass their house, not knowing whether she is looking out at that moment. I saw a clip on SGN recently on You Tube of a little boy in London who had been taught to greet everyone he met. He was on a walk, and although there were no other pedestrians, he waved and said “hi” or “good morning” to everyone he imagined.
Thanks for the story, Maggie! Keep smiling.