KJV Proverbs 17:22
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
My mother, Gladys Parker Jackson Meyer, had the opportunities to practice this verse in all kinds of situations - from whiny, bawling children (sometimes her own) to public school children, and even adults.
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| Gladys Parker, co-ed, age 18, when she left the farm for Normal, the teacher's academy. |
She had an irresistible smile that flipped a mopey look into a grin. No project was too hard for her to tackle and complete. I believe she took 10 years after Normal, to complete her degree at Augustana College. She then worked on a master's degree and earned that, when online was night school only. She graded papers all the time, yet she took time to teach Sunday School.
When I was up on Garfield Elementary School stage and my mother was in the audience, she would hold a grin until I had to smile back - it was a magnetic force. She embedded that attitude in everyone and that medicine worked very well.
This verse accomplishes what it suggests for us, very simple and yet often overlooked. There are good herbal medicines, even fragrances that create instant peace and happiness (roses, clovers, Clethra, mint).
Pets not only bring happiness into our lives, they even sense our moods and come over to give us comfort, certainly one of the best attributes endowed by our Creator.
One way to enjoy a merry heart is to practice by giving of ourselves and helping out. The Germans have a great saying that goes with this - "A shared joy is a joy doubled."
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