I was told to smile when the bombs are let loose.

So I did.

As the Germans unleashed the bombs, I let me lips curve outward.

I have been practicing with my children and my husband how to smile. Every day. Every hour. Every minute.

When one bomb landed and decimated my daughter’s body, I held her head in my hands, and cherished her smile. She had practiced well.

The church told us everyday to smile even if the world crashes around us.

First we have to give our tithes while smiling. Then we have to smile while we starve. But we were promised a smile in return when we die.

My husband and I smiled as we both held our daughter’s head in our hands and gave thanks to God.

As we heard the distant gunfire grow louder, a red-breasted robin looked our way from the window and smiled. We smiled back.

Because as the bombs drop, and a backdrop of blood and guts create a landscape of brightness, we will wake up in heaven and smile.