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It only Takes a Smile

author unknown, severely edited by Traute Klein

A sociology assignment to "smile" turns a trip to McDonalds into one of life's most valuable lessons, even though this story may be an urban legend as so many emailed stories are.


I am a mother of three, ages 14, 12, 3, and have recently completed a college degree. The last required class was Sociology. The instructor was inspiring, graced with the qualities I would love to find in every human being. Her last project of the term was called "Smile."

Our homework was to go out and smile at three people and to document their reactions. I am a friendly person and always smile at everyone and say "hello" anyway, so, I thought, this would be an easy assignment for me.

On a crisp March morning, my husband, youngest son, and I were having breakfast at McDonalds. It was our way of sharing special play time with our son. As we were standing in line, waiting to be served, all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, even my husband did. I did not move an inch. An overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved. As I turned around, I smelled a horrible "dirty body" smell, and there, standing behind me, were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the shorter gentleman close to me, he was smiling. His beautiful sky-blue eyes were full of God's light as he searched for acceptance. "Good day," he said as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend, and I recognized the signs of mental deficiency. The blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation.

I held back tears, as I stood there with them. The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. "Coffee is all, Miss," he replied, because that was all they could afford. The restaurant required a purchase in exchange for the privilege of warming up. The coffee was the lowest priced item on the menu.

Then I really felt it, a compulsion so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes. I noticed that all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my reaction. I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter for two more breakfasts on a separate tray.

I then walked around the corner to the table which the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes, and said, "Thank you." I leaned over, began to pat his hand, and said,"I did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope."

As I walked away to join my husband and son, I started to cry. When I sat down, my husband smiled at me and said, "That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope."

When I returned to my last class, I turned in my project. The instructor read it and asked if she could share the story with the class? I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. As she was reading what I had written, I knew that we, as human beings, share this need to heal people and be healed.

In my own way, I had touched the people at McDonalds, my husband and son, the instructor, and every soul in the classroom on my last night as a college student. I graduated with one of the most valuable lessons I would ever learn, unconditional acceptance.