Laughter and a Million Joys to Find

Sometimes, the hard plastic bench at a fast food joint with free Wi-Fi and sweet coffee feels like a soft bed… a peaceful retreat.

I headed out early this morning for some hours without little people, and I'm chuckling ironic at the flood of lunch-hour teenagers that surround me here.  Seems I can't escape, but as I listen to the laughter, I'm spurred back to life and I remember myself at that age, how easy it was to find things to be happy about, when the weight of the world was crushing around me and yet, I carried a tin lunch box and wore plaid golf pants just because it made me smile, and time spent with a handful of friends could cause uproarious laughter.  I wonder how long it's been since I laughed that hard. 

I wonder when I became a grown-up.

And in the cackle of this social experiment otherwise known as lunch break, when I can breathe in long and deep the aroma of French fries without any tiny hands on me, that I nearly want to crack a wide smile and remember that there are a million sources of joy to be had… that one only has to be aware.

I catalog… those million joys…those thousand gifts…and count them, one by one, with Ann.

-- Errands and writing time all by myself this morning, a chance to breathe

-- Getting a doctor's appointment at the last minute

-- A few more things to try on the way to wellness

-- Having health insurance

-- Beautiful sunny weather that excites me for spring

-- Lung-fuls of clean air

-- A fun new photo app on my phone

-- A lazy SuperBowl gathering at moms

-- Sweet potatoes

-- The rest of the day off, feeling well enough to catch up on housework

-- Toddler kisses, in high supply these days

-- Open windows, breezy days

-- Finishing Genesis in my in-depth study, moving on to Exodus

-- My 'Keep Calm and Love Mercy' bag from Relevant, with proceeds to The Mercy House

-- My blog reader, a ready source for inspiration and encouragement always at the ready, always ready to fill me up

-- Mt. McLaughlin, snow-capped in my rearview, blinding and beautiful

-- Comfort in cast-offs

-- A tax refund to come, this week

-- Free Wi-fi

-- Things I'm free to release from my life, and more to come on that, dear readers

-- Laughing teenagers, an inspiration to smile

-- The longing that returns me to the Word, over and over to fill my cup and then some

-- Losing track of time

Redefining Normal

One of our resident boys went on a hunger strike yesterday, over something to do with floor-mopping.  Another one of them was caught cheating on a test and then cussing at the teacher.  Another proceeded to entertain us with tales of his “hood rat days” (his words), and precisely how he managed to steal 48 beers in under a minute without detection, then hotwire a car to bring home his newfound merchandise.  At 2 a.m., the bedroom window alarm screamed me into awakeness, alerting me that someone was trying to sneak out of the house.  

It’s easy to get discouraged, on days like these.

This is our eighth month here, and every day gets easier, and every day gets harder.  Easier because we learn, indeed, there is nothing new under the sun, and harder because our hearts are growing solidly to these young ones, and it hurts every time their choices reflect the life that was so normal to them before they came here.  Most days, we’re just trying to redefine normal. 

And more than most things, I am grateful, in this ministry, for laughter and the power it has.  I’m grateful that an exhausting night of prayer and worry can be solidified with smiles when a twelve-year-old shows me where in the garden he planted “refried beans”, and a bunch of marshmallow-stuffed mouths burble their scripture-memory verses for the week, chubby-bunny style.  When a hot-sauce-eating competition breaks out at the dinner table and the boys cheer each other on and Husband cracks a joke that makes milk escape several noses all at once.  This is my hysterical life (in more ways than one)… with boys and other child-type people.

I’m grateful for a God who doesn’t take things too seriously and who seems to send, at the very moment I need it, a light-hearted moment or a friend with an inside joke to turn up the corners of my mouth and recharge my will to do it for just one more day.

What made you laugh, today?