An interesting comment

Two Sundays ago our family went to church - like we do most Sundays. I love our little church. It is the one where my husband and I got married six years ago. After the music stops, my children go up to Sunday School while I listen to the Bible message. Once the final song is sung, the children rejoin us and the congregation fellowships together - sharing refreshments and news about their lives.

As our family was preparing to leave, a member of our church stopped to speak to me. This member is not always with us, but we were happy to see him on this particular Sunday. Right before he walked out the door he said to me, "You have a joy in your face." I thanked him and watched him leave, wondering what he meant.

It seemed odd to me that a person who I've seen only a handful of times would make such a comment, but it made me think about what he saw that prompted him to say it. Was it my singing - which I do while holding our five-year-old daughter? Was it the way I greeted members of the congregation while the kids went up to Sunday School? Could it have been my comments on the Pastor's message or the way I hugged my girls when they rejoined us? Maybe it was something else that I haven't even thought of. Whatever it was that caused him say what he did, it has made me think of myself differently, and I think I'll probably have to stop calling myself the eternal pessimist now.