Last week, my daughter Christine called me on the phone. When I answered, I heard the sweet little voice of her two-year-old son, “Hiiiiiiiiii.” Whenever Christine calls, her son Will insists on being included in the conversation. He listens to what we are saying, and then it’s his turn to talk. He always tells me what he has done that day, along with any interesting new adventure he is involved in.

The conversation last week was different. When I asked Will what he was doing, he said, “I have a little tear on my cheek.”

My immediate thought was to rush over to his house and comfort him with a big hug and kiss, but I composed myself and asked, “Were you crying?”

He answered with a sad voice, “Yeah.”

I asked him why he cried, and he told me that he wanted a cookie. In an attempt to console him, I said, “I want a cookie too, but sometimes I have to wait until after dinner to have one.”

He started to whimper, so I said, “Do you remember the song that we sing when we’re sad?”

He responded, “Um-hum.”

“Ok, do you want to sing it with me now since you have a tear on your cheek?” He didn’t bother answering my question, he just started singing,

When you’re smilin’, when you’re smilin’
The whole world smiles with you.
When you’re laughin’, when you’re laughin’
The sun comes shinin’ through.
But when you’re cryin’, you bring on the rain.
So stop your sighin’, be happy again.
Keep on smilin’, cause when you’re smilin’
The whole world smiles with you.

When he sang the song, tears came to my eyes. It was the innocence in his voice that made me cry, but it also made me smile and thank God for the joy and happiness that he and my other grandchildren bring into my life.

After Will finished the song, I asked, “Do you feel better now?”

He said yes, and then he enthusiastically asked me the same question he always asks when I’m on the phone with him, “Can I come over to your house?”

The thing that touched me the most about our conversation was how quickly and easily he forgot about his sadness when he sang the song to me.

In Matthew 18:3, our Lord Jesus said, “In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.”

I wish I had the ability to quickly and easily replace sadness with happiness by simply singing a song. My experience with Will was a reminder that I need to leave my frustrations and tears in God’s hands, and then sing a song of happiness and gratitude for all God’s blessings.

The next time I have a tear on my cheek, I’m going to call Will and ask him to sing the When You’re Smilin’ song with me. After that, I’ll do my best to convince his mom to let him have a cookie.