About a year and a half ago, I wrote a couple of articles about a friend with cancer whose family put together a tzedakah performance in her merit. She recovered, Baruch Hashem, but then the cancer reared its ugly head again.
Throughout her treatments she has been encouraging her friends to keep praying and doing acts of chesed on her behalf. Her friends have rallied and done as she has asked.
This is her most recent post on Facebook:
Latest health update: 3 more days of radiation to the liver. In the meantime, last week’s PET-CT shows signs of spreading in abdomen. Starting new chemo (FOLFOX for those in the know) the following week (Chanukah). I believe there’s always a chance of miracles, but I’m also a practical person and therefore have to prepare for all eventualities.
And then this is what this courageous and inspiring woman adds:
So here’s my latest thought on how to improve the world and bring unity to our people and possibly save lives – nothing new, but important to renew – SMILE! Our Sages talk about how important it is to greet everyone graciously and not to distinguish between rich and poor. People have always commented on my smile and I would love it if more people increased their own smiling habits as part of my legacy.
She does have a lovely smile, good teeth! And she is always smiling.
So I said okay. Today’s smiles are in the merit of my friend and I made a conscious effort to smile throughout the day.
I was barely out on the street when people were stopping their cars at the crosswalk to let me pass (I live in Israel! This is not a usual occurrence). A construction worker wished me Good Morning with a smile!
I then went to the bank where after numerous appeals that had heretofore been rejected, I was able to get a credit card approval. True, it was a different manager but still. She said she trusted me to use it as I had promised.
Later when I went down to the place where I order take-away lunch a guy told his friend to make way for me.
I then decided to repeat my friend’s request in my English class that evening. And then I taught them the song “When you’re smiling” accompanied by pictures of smiling animals.
It was a lesson well learned. For all of us. The power of a smile, a tool that’s eminently powerful and sadly underused. I was actually going to quit teaching the class but it was so positive I decided to keep going. In other words, it was a day that clearly illustrated the life-changing energy of a smile. Not only to the people I smiled at (or even considered smiling at) but to me.
May this and all our smiles from reading this article be a merit and bring speedy healing to my very smiley and optimistic friend Etana Sarah bat Hadassah.