With a Smile

This is Ron with your Motivational Message:

 

I was looking at one of my Smiley faces today; the ones that tell the story of my personal hero, Kevin.  Kevin was paralyzed from his nose down.  Kevin had a dream that one day he might be able to smile.  As I thought of Kevin, my mind wandered to another story of a young man that I met while speaking in a small town high school gym.  I gave my normal talk…“turn negative to positives,” “losses to gains” and was feeling pretty energetic–no worries beyond my normal daily challenges.  Afterwards, I was given the opportunity to hear stories from some young men and women who attended this talk.  They came up to me where I sat displaying my art.  While they spoke, I was suddenly very aware that many of these faces were unable to reflect the true feelings held in their heart.  We all know that at times we just grin and bear it, but other times you share your story of struggle and hardship.  Many times when we share openly, others will feel more comfortable to tell you of their own struggles.  These kinds of stories are inspirational to me; it leaves a permanent stamp on my heart when I know that my life has made a difference for someone else.

 

Later, we were invited to have lunch with a local pastor and a special family.  I was introduced to a young man named John who seemed to smile the whole time that we were together.  I thought, “Wow, perhaps I really inspired this kid!”  That was until his mother told us of his challenges.  John had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and the doctors had not given him much hope.  I immediately realized that there was so much more that I wanted to find out about this kid and I realized that I would be the one learning something today.  The remaining time that we spent together was quite an inspiration, for me.  This kid’s attitude was far more real and non-staged than almost anyone else that I had met.  Here was a kid who had been given no hope for a future here on earth; how could he smile or be happy?  I was speechless.  So I said, “Hey, I would like to give you the smiley face that I have tied to my chin control.  You are an amazing individual.”  It was like I had given him a handful of gold as he looked at it with a grin from ear-to-ear.  “Thank you, this means a lot to me,” John responded.  Although he did not win his fight with cancer, his story will always live on.  Some time afterward, his mother wrote me a letter stating how much the smiley face meant to him.   Kevin wanted it displayed so that all would know he finished his time here happy.

 

I must admit, I’ve been thinking of John and his words, and the truth is we will all finish, here on earth.  The question that I ask myself is: Am I ready?  Would it be with a smile?  I can honestly say that I’m not ready; there are too many things that are unfinished, relationships to be mended and messy things that need to be tidied.  But, even in the hard times and after 32 years of wear and tear on the body and mind I’m glad to be alive and I do want a smile on my face when I finish.  So, for my 50th birthday will you pray with me that no matter what the circumstance or the situation, the past problems and the future trials, that I will rise up with the help of the Lord and the support of others.  I desire to keep the faith, fight the fight, and finish my race well.  Will God give me another 32 years?  I don’t know, but I know that I did what I was created to do.  Thanks to John and his story, the inspirational speaker was inspired by his audience.   Would you pause with me and reflect on your own soul and ask yourself what you might need to do to finish well?   Then ask God for the help to do it.  One more thing, can you sing out loud “Happy Birthday, Ron!” on March 18th? Sounds crazy, but it will make me smile.

 

To your inspiration and a smile,
Ron

 

P.S. Some of you have asked what I would like for my birthday—maybe purchase a smiley face or give a gift to support our outreach and family.  That would be much appreciated at this time.  Thank you for your prayers and support.

To donate to Never Give Up: https://www.ronheagy.com/donate-never-give-up.php

To donate to Ron and Family: https://www.ronheagy.com/donate-ron-heagy.php

Posted in Ron's Thoughts.

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