A Simple Smile

On Sunday my Dad was supposed to give a presentation at church.  Unfortunately he came down with a touch of something that ended him up in bed.  So...he asked me to read it for him.  Now, after a bit of hemming and hawing, I gave in, and said yes.  I read through it, a part of it choked me up, my stomach was in knots - I don't do well with presentations, and I just didn't think I could do it.  A prospective member of our church gave me this advice:  close your eyes, take 3 deep breaths and look for one person you can tell your presentation to.  So I did.  There's a young man who I knew would listen to what I had to say, he wouldn't be judgemental, and he probably wouldn't show any kind of emotion, I felt he was a safe bet to talk to.  I got up, put my paper on the podium, looked at the young man, and caught something out of the corner of my eye.  It was a friend who smiled at me, as I took my place.  A smile, that made me feel at home, reassuring me that I could speak to everyone, and not just the young man in the front pews.  I got through my Dad's speech, got the laughs he was looking for, and actually got a few compliments in the end - which of course made me smile.