Wednesday, February 16, 2022

The Color of Joy

 

Blog #27

The Color of Joy

My younger son moved his family back to the East Coast in 2020 which put me within driving distance of my grandson. I was now on call for Nana Duty!

Nana Duty is the sacred invitation to babysit. This allows me a bird’s eye view of my son’s married life, and lots of quality time with the grandkids.  I was asked to participate when they bought their first house.  I was asked to participate when there were multiple doctor appointments for Mama and the second grandson on his way into the world.  I was asked to participate when the new grandbaby needed some time in the ICU until he could breathe steadily on his own.  I was asked to participate when there was shoulder surgery for Papa. I was asked to participate when the babies were exposed to Covid-19 and had to quarantine.

I was happy to help.      

I was grateful that I had the time and the means to drop everything and report for Nana Duty. I was happy to sleep on an air mattress after I supplied a feather bed to make it more comfortable. I was happy to be the chief cook and bottle washer while on duty.  Happy to do the grocery shopping, do the laundry, take big brother on an adventure while Mom and Dad took a nap when the baby took a nap.

But this new house of theirs…. It’s gray.

The walls are gray with white trim.

The furniture is gray.

The blankets for cozy TV viewing are gray.

The curtains are gray.

The baby’s sleeper is gray.

The landscape is gray and white.

I was thinking I might not get out of my pajamas on this day only to realize…

 My pajamas are gray!

My bathrobe is gray!!!

I had been infected with GRAY!

Why was I living in 50 Shades of Gray?

Other than my hair, which is 50 shades of gray, I didn’t feel gray….

I found myself asking, “What color is joy?”

I don’t know that joy has a specific color, but I do know that joy is colorful and not gray.

Joy comes in many colors.

The color of the sky the day after a snowstorm, the pristine white of new fallen snow that gives the cardinal its best backdrop, my grandson’s rosy cheeks after a romp in the snow, the beauty of the roses shared among loved ones, the color of the redwoods, the color of the ocean, of the sunset, of the sunrise, all bring me joy.

Joy has many sounds.

The squeals of delight of young children at being alive, the purring of a beloved pet, the sounds of music from any source, the whir of the sewing machine, the roar of the crowd anywhere, a shared belly laugh, the roar of the surf, words of thanks, words of praise, all bring me joy.

Joy’s partner is love.


 

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