Vulfpeck’s “Smile Meditation” makes me think of a tech at Montgomery Behavioral Health we called “Smiley.” Her general disposition made me feel great every morning. A smile, a kind greeting, somebody glad to see you—those things matter when you’re trying to find your footing.
As a graduate of MBHS—Mountain Brook High School—I never expected another set of initials, MBH, to become part of my education. But Montgomery Behavioral Health was quite a step up from Jefferson County jail, and I learned something in both places: there are rules in place for a reason. The rules in jail. The rules outside of jail.
In my experience in jail, we couldn’t have a paper Bible because inmates would use the pages to smoke. LOL. Even that restriction didn’t stop some people from finding paper to burn.
One night, somebody busted the light in my cell and started lighting pieces of paper on fire. That made the issue pretty clear to me: I would much rather read the Bible on a tablet than be trapped in a cell with burning paper late at night.
There’s some hard irony there. I wanted a paper Bible, but that night helped me understand the reason behind a hard-and-fast rule.
I’m grateful to Jefferson County, Montgomery Behavioral Health, and Longleaf for the lessons, the care, and the people who have helped me along this road.
And Smiley, if you ever read this: thank you. Your smile made a difference in my mornings. I still remember it.
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us greatly rejoice, and be glad therein.” — Psalm 117:24, Orthodox numbering (118:24)
