You're never fully dressed. . .

Okay, I admit it.  I knew you thought it anyway.

Carly Simon's song is about me.  You know the one - "You're so vain, I bet you think this song is about you. . .".

When it comes to my children, my grandchildren, my hair and my teeth....Yep -  I'm so vain.

So it should come as no surprise to you that I spend lots of money on my hair (I like it salt and pepper).  AND over the past few months, as I noticed my used to be pretty teeth were beginning to look a bit uneven and had gaps...I started investigating.

I asked my dentist friend, Keith, about them.  I did some research.  I learned that the aging process can result in crowding of lower teeth.  I also learned that my lack of trips to visit a hygienist had resulted in deposits of plaque and made my lower teeth uneven.  That I learned when I bit the bullet and made an appointment with Dr. Larry Burnside, a Mandarin dentist, a few months ago.

He was very kind as he outlined a plan.  I could have some work done.  Oh me, I needed cosmetic dental work.

While I may be vain, I am also quite pragmatic.  Did I want to spend money that way?  I promise you - I thought, I prayed, I agonized.  And it really wasn't that much money.  It's just that I had to decide - my teeth or a new kitchen floor.

That's the back story.

I was in Dr. Burnside's chair recently and kept my eyes closed as he worked on my mouth.

But when I opened my eyes, I could see a smile under the mask of his assistant, Holly, who happens to be one of my dearest friends. She was so excited as she watched the transformation that was happening in my mouth.

Holly's mother, Shiela, is in Heaven now.  I could tell you lots of things about the two of them.  Theirs is a sweet story of love and forgiveness.  I think the story is one of the reasons that today - Holly has a beautiful smile.  And it is fortunate for me, who is old enough to be Holly's mother, that she gives me some of the love she misses being able to give to her mother.

There's just something about forgiveness and love - and allowing Jesus's love to show through us.

Sometimes that's a bit difficult to do.  I've said it many times in recent days - "The trouble with life is that it is so daily" (that's not original, but I don't know where I heard it). The struggles that we all face each day - from traffic to paying bills to caregiving.

My smile is a little better now - I just have to make sure I am also smiling on the inside.  Besides, "you're never fully dressed without a smile."

                                      May your life be filled with enough Sunshine...

                               ...to make you appreciate the Shadows