A Smile on my face and a load off my back

This last weekend was hard for me. Really hard.

I had a lot on my heart, a lot on my mind. The burden was too much for me to bear.

I went throughout my days. I did what needed to be done. But the burden weighed me down.

I couldn’t just shrug the melancholy away. Couldn’t pretend that I was happy. Couldn’t conjure a smile, even though I tried.

Monday morning, I wrote on my Facebook wall: “Rebekah Menter has misplaced her smile. If you’ve seen it, please let me know. I’d really like to reclaim it.” (Kinda a whiney post, wasn’t it? I’m sorry.)

It wasn’t the easiest day–but the end put a smile on my face and took a load off my back.

I was walking to my car from the class I teach when I received a text from a friend I hadn’t seen for (literally) years. She said she saw me walking and wanted to say hello–and that she missed me.

I had to wait for the tears to subside before I could drive home.

I’d asked my dad earlier if he had some time available that evening to talk–he didn’t, but he took off work early so we could chat. We holed ourselves away in his office and I shared my burden with him. He offered to take some of it–the hardest part–upon himself.

It still isn’t easy, but knowing that my dad is acting on my behalf makes it much easier.

Then I got home and went up to my room to drop my bags from the day–and found this waiting on my desk.

Au Gratin Potato Chips. Sardines in Mustard Sauce. Smiley Face Gummy Snacks. Some Stickers from Walmart. Three Yellow Flowers in a Vase. And a note from my roommate.

“Hope these small things help you relocate your smile!”

Yes, indeed, they have.

I am so blessed to once again have a smile on my face and a load off my back.