Beginning New Year 2014 with a Smile of a Sunshine...

They say a little Child's smile can illuminate the darkest of us. They definitely say it right.

I once flipped through an online link of the best old photographs of the 20th century... It was a post that highlighted on the fact that how one picture can evoke a thousand words and a milestone of thoughts into us. I scrolled through many of those lovely pictures that took me on a tour to history's great marvels.  (here is the link to that wonderful historical journey and my favorite Pictures from The Past)

I saw Elvis in his young and hopeless days serving the US army, a woman and a boy standing next to the would-be-mantled statue of Liberty, the first impressions of a racist man bullying black people in a swimming pool, and so much more that looked like a story board of yesterday's lives and environment. All of these images made me think for a while about a world that existed many years before my birth and the age of internet, but the one image that captured my heart and brought a smile to my face was a picture of a boy between 6-8 holding a pair of new shoes.

I certainly cherished the other pictures but this specific picture took my breath away. This lovely picture of a little boy relishing over a new pair of shoes for the very first time in his life overwhelmed me with a variety of emotions. It made me react to the picture's contagious grip, it brought a smile on my face, and then it brought me to a state of sadness that most of us in this age would not relate to. I remember seeing my cousin whining over the fact that his dad got him a Scoda over the latest Mercedes-Benz AMG addition for his birthday, spoiled brats crying that they did not get the latest PS4 and a "call of duty" franchise for Christmas or Eid and, seeing a friend of mine sulking over a messed up nail art. If any of these ungrateful references ever get a look on this image and the story behind it, they would truly value their much "unwanted" possessions that their parents bestowed upon them. 

I also remember not being able to lie comfortably in my bed that night when I first saw this beautiful picture. I just gazed the ceiling, and didn't realize until my dad called me from the next room that a thick line of tear had stamped my face. I responded "I am coming, dad", and then left to help him with something... 

Its not like I was never given lessons on gratitude , appreciation and satisfaction with what we had in life, but the very thought that made me a stronger person was that 'giving was always nobler than taking. ' I always doubted this saying throughout my teen years (yes, I was always that shallow) but realized its significance by just this mere picture and the joy that crossed this young man, stuck in the middle of a damaged post world war 2 Austria that ripped him apart from his parents, confining him to an orphanage and depending on Red Cross funds. 

And indeed, it was the initiative taken by the US Red Cross charity to supply goods to the helpless in Europe, that is how this boy got his first pair of new shoes and a smile that became contagious to not only me but to the many readers of Life magazine.

Now to break the ice, here is the little hero of gratitude and the picture that made me write this article:

Little Wendell with his precious posession

Just think about yourself, you may have lent someone 500 dhs, and in return you brought a smile and a relief from trouble that Mr Someone might have gotten into had you not stepped in to help that person; that relief alone could be the pleasure to your heart, or maybe just maybe, you may have given an Orphan girl the most most expensive doll, she might have danced in uttermost happiness just being so grateful for the doll; her happiness and smile could be your pleasure to your heart. If only our corrupted world foresaw the joy of bringing happiness onto others than themselves, they would then understand why God made us so special, powerful, intelligent, and civilized than animals, because animals live for themselves and we are made to live for others, to brighten the world of others, to share our wealth and good fortune with others, to maintain harmony and peace.

God bless you fellow readers, and here's to you, a very happy New Year 2014.

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven. Johannes A. Gaertner