Jaden Hayes has many reasons to be sad. Two years ago a 6 year old boy was left without a father and a few weeks ago he unexpectedly lost his mother.
But instead of hurting and crying, the American freshman decided he wanted to be known for his smiles – the ones he shares and brings to others.
“After attending the funeral, seeing how all the adults were walking around and no one was smiling, he was just tired of people with sad faces,” recalls Barbara Dikola, sister of Jayden’s mother. “He really wanted to make people smile, so he asked me how we could do that. »
The aunt told the boy that the best way to make him smile was to smile first. Although she cautioned that it doesn’t work for everyone.
“Then he said, ‘OK, how about we give them a toy?’ And after packing bags of trinkets and small toys, Aunt Barbara and Jayden stepped out into downtown Savannah, Georgia. The boy caught the attention of at least 275 people.
Most people immediately smiled back and asked what was going on. Some even kissed Jayden. Many people were moved to tears upon hearing the child’s story and even offered Barbara money, but she refused. “Only two people categorically rejected us. »
Jayden really suffered a lot the first days after the death of his mother.
According to his aunt, Jayden was always looking for ways to bring joy to people: “He’s just a ray of sunshine. He’s always been like that. We are all amazed at the power he possesses that comes from him.
Now we are all smiling a lot more than we would like right now. But we can’t do anything about it. You see his smile and you can’t help but smile. You have to do it. »
