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To Grin or Not to Grin, Is My Dilemma
By Dr. James L. Snyder
Through the years, I have experienced one dilemma after another.

I remember my father once told me, “Son, when life delivers you a dilemma, make lemonade out of it.” To which I looked at him with a big grin and said, “Is there any dilemma I can make a root beer out of it?”

On my wedding day, I grinned all day long and nobody ever had to ask me the question, “What are you grinning about?” Everybody knew.

After my wedding, however, everything changed. I have no regrets or anything of that nature. While I am saying this, you can imagine I am grinning. Nothing has made me happier in life than marrying the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage.

My wife and I were sitting in the living room having a cup of coffee and talking. As we were talking unbeknownst to me, I was grinning. It is something that happens automatically to me.

“What are you,” my wife said in a very somber tone, “grinning about?” “Oh,” I said, “I was just thinking about the fi rst time we met.” Then I laughed heartily.

“What was so funny about that?” That was the beginning of trying to explain why I grinned all the time. I explained to her how that day was the real beginning of my life. Then, she grinned. That began a wonderful conversation of those beginning days of our life.

I well remember the time my wife was walking around the house everywhere. I stopped her and said, “What are you doing?”

“I’m looking for my glasses.” I thought I was being set up so I grinned very cheerfully.

“What are you grinning about? Have you,” she snapped, “seen my glasses?”

I did not know what to say because I could see her glasses on the top of her head where she often puts them.

Then she discovered where her glasses were and just looked at me. I was still grinning.

Recently, she had some problems with her back and I called the ambulance to take her to the local ER and the doctors begin to work on her.

One of the medications they used was some form of morphine. I let my daughters oversee that because that was completely above my pay scale.

On the wall was a very nice picture of a landscape with trees and bushes and so forth. I noticed my wife looking at that picture and then she said, “Isn’t a very nice picture of a pickle?”

She then looked at me and said, “What are you grinning about?”

One of my daughters said, “I guess the medication is starting to kick in.”

I have been enjoying my grinning ever since. Occasionally my wife will look at me and say, “You’re not still grinning about the pickle are you?”

“Why no,” I say, trying to hide a grin, “have you found your glasses yet?”

Trust me when I say, she did not grin back at me.

Thinking about this I was reminded of one of David’s Psalms. “Then was our mouth fi lled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them” (Psalm 126:2).

My philosophy has been, find something every day to grin about and you will have a happy life along with fresh lemonade.

[Dr. James L. Snyder, pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, lives with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage in Ocala, FL. Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. The church web site is www.whatafellowship. com.]
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