Uplifted and Supercharged by a smile!

One of my whirlwind tour of New Zealand was a kaleidoscope of experiences. The eight days that I spent there were amongst the most enriching days of my entire life!

As soon as I boarded the aircraft that was to fly me from Singapore to Auckland, I was bathed in the warmth of the most wonderful smile I’ve ever seen! Suddenly I felt the fatigue of my overnight flight to Singapore lifting; it was as if the benevolent rays of the sun had bid a fond farewell to early morning mist!

I had never seen or met this person with the radiant smile! There she was, at the door of the aircraft, welcoming every passenger as though she knew everyone from some previous journey. I’ve seen hundreds of stewardesses doing their jobs in the course of the hundreds of thousands of airmiles I’ve clocked up. This wasn’t just a stewardess doing her job!

This was a smile that bore no comparison to the plastic greetings that airlines normally serve up. This was a smile that bubbled up from the heart and shone from the eyes! No superficiality here, that was certain. And yet I wasn’t so sure; how could this person be so totally loving and sincere that her smile could light up the world around her?

So I observed her closely during the 10 hour flight to Auckland. She was so busy with the work that she barely had a minute to herself. Making sure everyone was comfortable and at home 40,000 ft up in the sky. Genuinely caring! Gently reassuring, sincerity flowing out of every pore.
Attending to every small need. Going the extra distance to provide that extra special touch. Adjusting a blanket here, loosening a seat belt there…Making a fresh cup of coffee, adding a bit of cream, warming up the entrée, serving an extra portion of dessert, dimming the lights……for every single passenger! Hour after hour, for the entire 10 hours. Warming everyone with that radiant smile…her eyes were beacons of love….showing each of us the way to live…

It just didn’t matter that she knew no one and would probably never meet these passengers ever again. And yet she lavished her love on everyone, accepting all who were in her care. That tender smile embraced everyone without reserve.

No, this was not a person who was doing her job. This was a very special being…a person who loved life and humanity. The kind of person whom St.Francis of Assissi wanted to be when he said “Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace”…the smile of love was nothing short of the divinity shining forth, without fear or inhibition, unfettered and complete, soothing and healing, without expectation.

I arrived in Auckland supercharged! For I had reveled in the presence of the Lord who manifested in that loving smile. Could I pray for a more uplifting experience?