Power of a Smile

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Smile Train. The opinions and text are all mine.

Part of why I love blogging is that I get to be a voice. I believe we are called to try and impact our world for the better, and I hope I have a corner of the web that inspires you on your journey to do just that. If you have been with me long, I hope you have discovered what I am about. You have seen that I am an advocate of parenting well. If you could see where my energies are served in my own community, you would know I’m an advocate of marriage. I am also an advocate of making life better for others. Today I get to be a voice for Smile Train, “an international children’s charity with a sustainable approach to a single, solvable problem: cleft lip and palate.”

Think about the power of a smile. A genuine smile can change a moment and influence a day for the better. The printable I made for you includes a quote from Mother Teresa. “Every time you smile at someone it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” I am inspired by quotes. There is so much truth to reveal as people share from their hearts.

I want to share with you some quotes of people who have been given a new smile through Smile Train. After all, Smile train has transformed the lives of over one million children by providing cleft repair surgery. They provide 340 surgeries a day, which means 127,000 smiles a year to bring more light and joy into this world.

Let me introduce you to Monserrat from Mexico. She was teased and bullied because of her speech impediment and cleft lift and palate. She was full of anger, but her parents tried to teach her to choose music over violence, as music was a part of her family heritage. The problem? Monserrat had developed improper speaking habits because of her cleft lip. After the surgery, she was enrolled in speech pathology and counseling. She can now take the stage with confidence. Here is what she has to say:

~ “Now when I have to speak in front of the class, people quiet down and listen.”

~ “I want to show everyone that this kind of condition doesn’t stop you…I’m really really happy the way I am.”

Let me introduce you to Wang Li from China. Wang Li grew up being teased for 9 years because of her cleft. She wouldn’t want to go to school and began falling behind because of her frequent absences. Her cleft got in the way of breathing, eating and speaking, and it effected her ability to make friends. She became Smile Train’s first patient. She was able to return to school with confidence, compete with her classmates, make friends, eventually fall in love and start a family. Let’s hear what she has to say:

~ “Spending time with others after the surgery it didn’t matter if I was playing games or just chatting. I felt like a normal person.”

~ “I used to cover up my smile. Now it doesn’t matter if I’m going on interviews or talking with strangers, I no longer feel the anxiety I used to, hiding from people I meet.”

These lives along with many more have been changed because of the gift of a smile. I would love you to head to Smile Train to hear more stories. You will see the faces of lives that were changed. You can hear stories through videos, pictures and the written word. Cleft surgery can cost as little as $250 and takes only 45 minutes, but it can change a person’s life forever. You could give up your latte habit for a month and provide a smile for a lifetime. Now that is powerful. The great thing about a smile, is that it is contagious and always passed along to others.

There’s a few things I’d love you to understand about Smile Train. They have a sustainable model that provides training and funding to empower local doctors in over 85 developing countries to provide 100% free cleft repair surgeries in their communities. So, Smile Train is “teaching a man to fish” by their focus on local doctors, and it has a network of over 2100 partner surgeons.

There are millions of children living with un-repaired clefts. What can you do? If you are compelled to help bring a smile to a child, I would love for you to visit Smile Train’s donate page and contribute to changing someone’s life.

Smiles really do change the world. I hope you enjoy the printable I created, and I hope it becomes a reminder of how you can make a difference in the lives of others. I want to leave you with more lovely quotes about the power of a smile. I would love to hear your story too. What does a smile mean to you?

~ “A warm smile is a universal language of kindness.” – William Arthur Ward

~ “A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” – Phyllis Diller

~ “A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles.” – William Hazlitt

~ “Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.” – Paramahansa Yogananda

~ “Smile, it’s free therapy.” – Douglas Horton

~ “If you are not using your smile you are a man with a million dollars in the bank and not using your checkbook.” – Les Giblin

~ “You your smile to change the world, but don’t let the world change your smile.”

~ “A smile is the shortest distance between two people.”

~ “Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” – Mother Teresa

Smile Train has a sustainable approach to a single, solvable problem: cleft lip and palate. Smile Train’s model provides training and funding to empower local doctors in developing countries provide 100%- free cleft repair surgery in their communities. Join us and change the world with the power of a smile.

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Smile Train. The opinions and text are all mine.