MY TRUTH: Dear…

People working/volunteering where you have to greet people when you don’t feel you have to be courteous or smile!

We need you to smile, or at least look like you care.

Maybe you had an argument with a spouse. Well, smile because you got a break from him/her.

Maybe it is your time of day/ week/month. Well that’s the time to be alone until you are free of the mood swings.

Whatever the situation, you need to be in control.

A lot can be said about a smile.

I grew up to the lyrics of songwriters Barrett Strong / Norman Whitfield.

Sing along with me:

Smiling faces sometimes Pretend to be your friend
Smiling faces show no traces Of the evil that lurks within (can you dig it?)
Smiling faces, smiling faces, sometimes
They don’t tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces tell lies and I got proof
Oh, oh, yeah
Let me tell you
The truth is in the eyes ’cause the eyes don’t lie, amen
Remember, a smile is just a frown turned upside down my friend
So, hear me when I’m saying Smiling faces, smiling faces, sometimes, yeah
They don’t tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces tell lies and I got proof
(Beware) beware of the hand- shake
That hides the snake (can you dig it, can you dig it?)
I’m a-tellin’ you beware of the pat on the back
It just might hold you back Jealousy, (jealousy) misery (mis- ery) envy (envy)
I tell you you can’t see behind Smiling faces, smiling faces, sometimes
Hey, they don’t tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces tell lies and I got proof
Hey, your enemy won’t do you no harm
(Rap on) ’cause you’ll know where he’s comin’ from
Don’t let the handshake and the smile fool ya
Take my advice, I’m only tryin’ to school ya
Smiling faces, smiling faces, sometimes
They don’t tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces tell lies and I got proof
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes

Undisputed Truth won an NAACP Image Award for that song, “Smiling Faces Sometimes.”

Kirk Franklin sang, “I Smile.” Tim McGraw sang, “Just to See you Smile.”

“You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile” was a hit by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin Even J. Cole sang about a “Crooked Smile.”

Growing up in the North, there wasn’t a lot of smiling and speaking going on.

Looking someone in the eyes could get you hurt.

But spending time in the South had me growing up with a different perspective. In the South, you’d better not walk past someone and not speak.

For example, I traveled to Zachary, LA, to interview football great Doug Williams’ mother.

She was a sweet, kind and honest woman who really could cook!

Following her directions that included more landmarks than street names, I made it to the street.

Unfortunately I came to a dead end and so I pulled the rental car over and called Mrs. Williams. She asked if I was in a white car and I told her, “yes.”

She then said, “I saw you when you passed by. Didn’t you see me waving?”

I responded, “Everyone was waving. I felt like I was in a parade because every house I passed, people waved.”

That’s called “southern hospitality,” but I think down South they call it “common decency.”

Which brings me to my truth.

Antoinette is the type of person you want to have at your front desk, greeting people at your events, welcoming people into your home or working registration/information booths.

For more than 25 years, “Toni” has answered the phone at Service Broadcasting with a smile in her voice and a song in her heart.

Don’t believe me, call 972-263-9911.

No matter what kind of day she has or who is on the other end, Toni is going to make you feel special.

Now you would think that the person performing said duties is there because they like people.

Well, not always.

And some need to be weeded out. Let them take their bad attitudes into another time or place.

Say it with me:

“I think we could really use you in this other area,” or “Wouldn’t you like to try something else?”

There’s a lot to be said about a smile. You can make a person’s day with a smile and you can ruin it with your funky attitude.

Survey your areas and your events. You may need to make a change.

By the time a recent American Airlines flight took off a third of the plane was enjoying the flight attendant in our area (not First Class but she treated us like we were — or better).

She spoke and welcomed everyone aboard and it was so pleasant that many of us started chiming in with her.

What a difference from the ones who are either on their phones or talking to a coworker!

Life is hard. People are going through changes as we live in a constant state of turmoil and dysfunction.

A smile can make the difference.

Check out the lyrics to “Your Smile,” by Angela Winbush and Rene Moore, who say, nothing means as much as “your smile.”