You know, I can't help but get teary-eyed at the fact that my mother-in-law is being so absolutely sweet to me. She has been as supportive as she can be, but just carries on sharing things and having conversations with me as if none of this terrible ordeal were happening. Of course, in the beginning, I never expected things to get so out-of-hand, so one-sided on both our parts (my family absolutely despises Scott right now, they've always been very defensive of the way people make me feel). But she is still there, and that makes me happy. There are only a few things that do that these days, make me happy that is. I never use the term "happy" loosely. I'm one of those people who gets told to smile more often because, when I smile, it's genuine, and it has purpose behind it. I smile at my customers because I want them to know that they are individual to me, because that may be the first honest smile they've received for the day (most of our customers are regulars - small town). Smiling and happiness are not taken for granted by this woman. Maybe I'm wrong in my assumption of how these things should be portrayed in our daily lives, but it's something I hope to teach my son someday - that happiness is entirely different from contentment and doesn't come from anything material or concrete. And that a smile, a true smile, can make the difference between someone waking up another day or ending it all now. My favorite quote is by a man named John Watson. He said, "Smile, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle." I smile with that in mind.

I always got lectured in my retail experiences because I wasn't giving a beauty queen smile to my customers. Um, normal people don't have a stupid grin on their faces when they're having real conversation. That's why I'm not a good salesperson: I can take no for an answer. Because I believe that if someone is even ready to consider what you're offering, "no" is not the answer. I don't have everything that everyone needs, and apparently that's not how a successful salesperson works. Okay that was a total tangent. But I think my point has been made.
I love the smiles of babies and toddlers, because they are the truth. There is nothing hidden behind the smile of a sweet little boy. He smiles because he loves, he is happy, he enjoys just the sight of you, and there is a lot to be learned from the mindset of these young people in regards to the way we treat our fellow man.