That smile.

This is my friend Martha.  You may recognize her from my profile photo.  She was the sister of my oldest dearest friend, Jolie.  Sadly, they are both no longer here and I miss them both.

I know none of us is full of grace all the time, but I think Martha may have been an exception to that rule.  

This picture brings me great joy.  Martha and her husband, Andy, had purchased an inn in Baden, North Carolina.  On a visit to my mother, who also lives in North Carolina, we drove into the mountains to see them and their venture.  When we arrived, Martha was bending over a planting bed, putting flowers in the ground.  The last time we had seen each other was a sad time and it was so wonderful to see her and hug her, and be the recipient of that smile.

She toured us around the place in a golf cart, chatting and catching up.  I was totally amazed at this venture they had taken on, the inn, a golf course, a whole new life in a whole new place.

I can remember sitting on the porch and asking her

Martha, weren't you scared to do this?  What if it does not work out?

She looked at me and tilted her head to the side and said the following:

Yeah, it is scary.  And we thought long and hard about it.  At the end we thought - hey what is the worst that can happen?  We lose everything?  We lose it all and are standing in line at the food bank?  So what, we will have each other and that is what matters.

Good advice, I would say.