![\"momflower\"](\"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/momflower.jpg\" "\\"momflower\\"")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A few years ago I was heading into a store to pick up a few things and I was in a jubilant mood. Not just happy, Ju-bi-lant. I was radiating joy.<\/p>\n
I pulled into my parking spot, which was a little ways from the store’s entrance, and beamed at the passenger in the car next to me.<\/p>\n
He seemed a little surprised. Perhaps he was a little shaken, but I just kept on smiling, as he adjusted something under his hat.<\/p>\n
I unbuckled my toddler and waddled my very pregnant self into the store, still smiling to all around me. (I told you I was jubilant. Must have been those hormones! Or maybe God knew I needed that sunshine that day.)<\/p>\n
I noticed a man hovering near us throughout the store. I even said “hello” as he passed me once. But when I looked up later and saw him eying me in the security mirrors overhead, I got an icky feeling and decided it was time to go.<\/p>\n
I collected my little one and proceeded to the checkout, announcing my intentions as if I was talking to my child.<\/p>\n
I left the store and didn’t think much more about it.<\/p>\n
Until I shared the story with someone else. And was reminded of a few robberies that had taken place around town in similar stores. And then wondered what that guy had been messing with under his cap.<\/p>\n
Did my smile and direct eye contact stop a crime that could have happened while I was in that store?<\/p>\n
As I’ve mentioned before in the blog, I am terrified of being subjected violence. (I know, who isn’t?)<\/p>\n
Did God just give me an extra bit of sunshine that day and did my passing it along keep Satan away from all of us at the store that day?<\/p>\n
Hmm. Don’t know.<\/p>\n
But I will tell you that thinking about this story has caused me to smile a bit bigger and cheerfully recognize more strangers as I pass them. I guess you may never know the power of a true smile.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A few years ago I was heading into a store to pick up a few things and I was in a jubilant mood. Not just happy, Ju-bi-lant. I was radiating joy. I pulled into my parking spot, which was a little ways from the store’s entrance, and beamed at the passenger in the car next […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1221"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1221\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1222,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1221\/revisions\/1222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}