Your Smile

In loving memory of Jenny Paulson, June 23, 1979 – February 26, 2010
March 2, 2010

The morning of February 26, 2010, my friend Jenny Paulson was senselessly gunned down as she was about to enter the school where she taught reading to children with special needs. She was a beloved teacher, just as she was well-loved in college when I knew her. I know she's up in heaven dancing with her Savior, beaming as she always did in life. It's sure tough for those of us who are left, though.

Your passion for life
Your love of the Lord
Your care for all you met
These are your legacy

But I remember your smile
That smile that brightened my day
That smile that haunts me and inspires me
With one smile, the world could see:
Your passion for life
Your love of the Lord
Your care for all you met

In that smile are hundreds of memories
Different for each person you touched
Flying over the water on jet skis
And running out of gas on the lake
Remembering birthdays
And making sure they were celebrated
Inviting friends to church
Bringing them to Christ
Taking a break from your work
To eat lunch with your friends
Teaching children to read
And listening to their needs
Seeing the best in everyone
And loving without condition

Your smile touched more people than you know
And for that, I thank you
For that, I know that your smile
Is shining for all of heaven to see
As you smile and dance in the loving embrace of our loving Father
Whose smile is even bigger.