I gazed across the swamp, its beauty overwhelming. I prayed for guidance, then slipped deep into the realm of silence, still not sure as to where I was going or what I was searching for. It did not take too long to reach deep into the quietude of the sacred silence, and in a flash of clarity all body and mind were gone. I emerged into the dazzling brilliance of the swamp in full light. In my imagination the swamp took on a new feel, a feel that reached into the consciousness of my very soul, purifying and healing. All around me was the flow of life ... green carpets of moss, tranquil pools full of frogs and fish, choruses and movements of all manner of birds, other animals dancing to the rhythm of the Earth, and a sense of beauty the like of which I had never experienced before.
There is a way to smile through your eyes: to see the beauty behind the appearance of things. Imagine looking at a person who is forlorn and broken and has a bad self-image, and seeing the hidden beauty in that person. When you smile, that person sees their beauty through your eyes. Imagine the gift you are offering that person... A silent, gentle gift of love.