DEAR ABBY: The letter about the "ugly" secretary and your reply reminded me of a story my secretary, "Alice," told me years ago about her son who was in the second grade.
Sonny kept coming home telling his parents how beautiful his new teacher was. Alice and her husband looked forward to meeting this beautiful teacher. The night of the PTA open house finally arrived. When they met Sonny's teacher, they were shocked to see she was a plain, somewhat elderly, woman. After they returned home, they asked their son how he could call his teacher beautiful. He replied, "Because she smiles so pretty."
Abby, may I share another anecdote with you -- this time, my own? I was a part-time food server for many years. I was thrust into my first server's position from a busboy's job when one of the servers called in sick. I was unprepared for that job and uneasy, but what could I do but follow the boss's orders?
On my second night, I had to serve a party of eight. I was terrified I'd make a mistake, but I made it through.
When the gentleman paid the bill, he told me, "You are a good server." I guess he could see my relief and surprise as I stammered a thank-you. He added, "Do you know why I said that? You smile a lot." I have always remembered that. -- ALFRED J. WILSON, SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS
DEAR ALFRED: Your anecdotes clearly illustrate the value of a smile. Thank you for sharing them. They remind me of a line from a song that Al Jolson used to sing: "I'd walk a million miles for one of your smiles ..."