BY DAWN REED

Years ago, in a small town in Poland, we quickly learned that people there did not smile and greet one another.

Each morning and evening, our mission team made the trek by foot to the church where we were having Vacation Bible School. Excited to be there, excited to be helping, we Americans smiled broadly, calling “Dzień dobry” (Good day) to every breathing man, woman, boy and girl we passed. One of our interpreters told us the Polish people just didn’t do that.

Not only did they not greet each other, but they did not smile along the way. As you might imagine, we were perplexed.

The people of Poland were down-trodden. Communism had left an ugly scar on the cities and the survivors. Men and women walked with heads down, looking at the ground. We were told the Polish people only smiled if something good had happened, which didn’t occur very often. So, if they came across a joyful face, instead of smiling back, they were hurt — jealous even — because they had not also experienced something good. We were stunned.

In America, we have much to smile about. Even though gas prices are rising like summer kites, we are tremendously blessed. Every night I sleep in a real bed with a roof over my head. I have electricity and running water at my fingertips each morning, plus so many other good things.