New Girl

Today I can feel how much my mood has been lifted because of a few simple things.
A cheerfully loaned pen in seminary... an acquaintance babbling to me about their weekend... a conversation in history class... talking to someone new...a smile in the library...a thoughtful comment.
I took a new girl to her first class the other day. 
I asked her where she came from, why she was here, what it was like where she came from, what she thought about it here.  How could I not?
I remember what it was like, the feeling of those painful first weeks is still raw.
But I can now testify with a greater understanding of the healing power of a smile, a question, and an invitation.

A simple gesture means everything.