Try To Make Someone Smile

I am not what anyone would call a religious man. Sure there have been times in my life when prayer seemed like a good idea and times when I would gladly have made a deal with the devil.

For a number of years I went to church on a regular basis, listened to the sermons and afterwards I would mill around talking to the other parishioners drinking that horrible church coffee. I did some odd jobs around the church and was in a Christmas play once. That didn’t mean that I believed any stronger then than I had in the past, I just needed the sense of belonging at that time in my life. I tell myself that I wanted the kids to have a solid knowledge base so that when they decided that religion was bunk they knew what they were talking about.

Well, as much as anyone can “know” about religion.

Sometimes I envy those who have a very strong belief in a loving God and rewards in the afterlife. When I was working as a mailman, I wore a uniform to work and every day I knew just what clothes I had to put on. Uniforms take that early morning decision making of what to wear away from you and protect you from the wagging tongues about your choice in fashion. It would be wonderful to wake up every morning and KNOW that you had a place reserved for you at the right or left hand of God.

Religion is based on belief and belief is not an iron clad certainty so no one can be sure that they will end up in whatever version of heaven they happen to believe in.

My faith seems to alter almost every time I really start to think about it. Not a lot you understand but enough to keep it fluid. The basic precepts remain the same, be nice to people if I can, try to do the right thing in any given situation, do my best to leave this world just a little better than it was when I arrived. The last one is tough because it is difficult to make even a tiny change. I think I will have to hope that the people I have chosen to surround myself with during my life will have learned something from me that improves them and their world. It is likely that what they learn is what not to do, but that works for me.

I hope that when you read this you are having a good day and try to make someone smile if you can.