Skip to main content

You're never fully dressed without a smile

Hey Y'all,

Have you ever heard the advice that states, "Always smile. You never know who's falling in love with your smile"? Optimism is a very attractive thing. Annie had it right when she sang "You're never fully dressed without a smile." It doesn't mean you have to be happy-go-lucky all day every day. It just means you take what life gives you and throw a positive spin on it. Good advice, Annie. :)

Some may say, "Dale, you just don't understand. I just can't do this" or possibly, "I'm hurt more than I've ever been before. It's so hard to get past this." Well, I'm here to say that's what the Gospel is for. As a disclaimer, I will never say anything in life is easy. We all face extremely difficult things. However, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the way we can move forward, no matter what. The bottom line of this Gospel? "Keep your head up. Keep smiling. It'll get better. You will be better."

I'll share a little experience with you. Well, a lot of experience, actually. That experience proves that I'm not perfect. My family isn't perfect. My relationships with them aren't perfect. My roommates aren't perfect. My relationships with them aren't perfect. My friends aren't perfect. Our friendships aren't perfect. I'm stubborn. I'm obnoxious at times. I'm a little lazy.

I'll share a little more experience. I'm better than I was a year ago. My family is better than it was a year ago. My roommates are better than a month ago when I first met them. My friends are better than they were 3 months ago. I'm less stubborn. I'm a little less obnoxious. I'm a lot less lazy. Point? It gets better. Everything gets better. I can't fully explain everything. I don't know how some things work and some other things I don't think I will ever understand. But I will do my best to find out everything I can and try to make as many things better as possible. I will mess up. I promise you. However, I will be there. Waiting or working, I will always be there to try.

With a smile on my face. :)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Am I Proud to Be an American?

This weekend is the 4th of July, or Independence Day in the United States of America. One of my favorite songs during this time of celebrating the country is "God Bless the USA." The words paint a detailed picture of the beauty of the United States, both in a physical and emotional aspect. Our country is often depicted in a majestic manner such as this, making it seem like the greatest in the world and we often hear those bold words, "I'm proud to be an American."  With all of the issues that have been cropping up over the past couple of years such as impeachment, systemic racism, foreign intervention, and most significantly the COVID-19 pandemic, I have reflected deeply about what we celebrate with the 4th of July. These issues are just a few of the many that have made me wonder about the country we praise so proudly.  Am I really proud to be an American?  Thomas Jefferson wrote the candid words of the Declaration of Independence, which were th...

Book of Mormon Stories

Dear Reader, Today I simply want to share a story that has strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon over the years. Professor Felix Mynhardt was fluent in many languages, including English, Afrikaans, Hebrew and Egyptian, as well as many others. He was employed as a language professor when he had been praying that the Lord would give him some divinely important task that would justify his having this gift of language from God. In 1970 he visited with a group of Mormon leaders, who sought to commission him to translate the Book of Mormon from English into Afrikaans. He said that he knew of the Book of Mormon from his religions studies, and his initial reaction was that he did not want to be involved in translating it. However, that evening, as he prayed upon his knees, as was his habit, he said the Spirit of the Lord convinced him. The message was something on the order of, "You asked me for a great, divinely inspired task of translation, I sent it to you in the form o...

I've Been Watching You

Dear Reader, Our little boy has not even arrived yet and I am already feeling the pressure to a good example. All growing up, I was always told to never do anything that I wouldn't want my children to know about/do themselves. "Always be on your best behavior, your children will watch you." I will be honest, I have always agreed with that idea and I think it is a good way to live your life. However, I didn't feel the weight of that responsibility until my wife got pregnant. I feel like I am getting more and more pressure from myself to be a perfect example, even though this little boy hasn't even met me yet. That's why I am relating so much with this song right now. I know, this isn't too deep. I just wanted to share the song more than anything.