There are times when the truth goes down like a spoonful of sugar. The beauty of life is that there are such undeniable, blissful truths. These truths make the hard ones more bearable. In fact, sometimes, they surpass and drown worries and tears.
My honest moment? Joy is real. It is real and it can carry me through.
There are times when Elina grabs my face and engulfs me in one of her legendary kisses. She does not give these kisses upon command, no, they are a part of her magic. So this is the kiss: She grabs your cheeks with her tiny hands, and pulls you towards her with surprising force. Then, your bottom lip is chomped on, as lovingly as chomping can be done. Elina's kisses can be a bit rough at times, but love hurts, right? If she is really into it, then she babbles while she is attacking your face. You can't help but to get lost in this kiss; to be overwhelmed and swept in by her love.
I'll be honest: sometimes I have joy that is so pure and strong, it makes the moments move in slow motion.
The Spark
The days in all our lives can sometimes slur together in a series of responsibilities and routines. We can live out a whole week, and lie in bed on sunday nights wondering where all the time went, as if life just sort of flew by us. It can all feel so ordinary.
Then there is this mystery that exists alongside the mundane. There is a part of life that is a bright contrast to the ordinary.
There is a spark that can happen at any time. The spark is something that brings the daily grind to a halt.
It happens when...
...you look deep into the eyes of your wife for the first time in a long time, and you rediscover her soul.
...your kids break out in a dance in the back yard, their tiny toes bouncing to the beat of summer freedom
... you read a story that touches you in the deepest parts of who you are
They are the moments that make you see your life for what it is- a gift.
I find that as I keep my eyes open, these sparks are everywhere.
If this joy is so real to me, then why do I have so much trouble expressing it fully? As hard as it is for me to show my pain, it can be just as challenging to communicate joy.
I don't think I am alone. I feel like we live in a world that has lost some ability to celebrate. For example, when someone stands in church and shares about some miracle in their life, we can tend to keep our happiness for them on the inside. We nod and smile instead of shouting and hugging as we should.
Perhaps showing joy makes us vulnerable. Maybe we feel to exposed when we are really excited about something; because? Is it embarrassing to let others see us swept away by joy?
What would happen, if we not only were more real about our struggles, but also about our triumphs and our happiness?
There is a season of special joy emerging in my life. Preparations are being made for a special 1st birthday party. I will strive to not only feel the glow of this joy in my heart, but to show it in my actions and words.
Because, who knows, maybe joy is contagious.
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Eye Surgery
Elina is all set to go into surgery on Friday. We will be heading to Kansas City on Thursday.
According to the surgeon, Elina should be released from the hospital that same day. Some of the effects that will stay with her for a while are some eye irritation and a lot of redness at the sight of the modifications they will make to both eyes.
We have high hopes for this surgery and feel pretty relaxed about the procedure.
Updates will be posted about how it all went.
In the meantime, were just going to kick back, put our feet back, and live joy.
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