Simple Joys

I received a colorful note and Christmas greeting the other day from a young man I do not know. His Sunday school class decided to brighten the hearts of prisoners by sending thoughtful notes at a time of year that is especially difficult for prisoners. Although I do not know the boy who sent this note, it still put a large smile on my face because of the simple, yet profound, way that it reminded me I was loved and valued. In prison one is surrounded by cynicism, especially during the holidays, that infects one's spirit. It's difficult to keep a spirit of joy, but simple expressions of love have a way of breaking through the haze of darkness that often covers prison. Fortunately, there are no children here in prison (well, not children chronologically), but we too often forget the simple joy that comes from the smile and laugh of a child. Their simple view of life is a reminder of the joy that can be found in unlikely places. Like the joy my niece found in an octopus. Just the other day she lit up the phone telling me with pure joy about an octopus she saw at a science center. I too find an octopus very interesting, but my joy was multiplied by hearing her enthusiasm for something we cynical adults might simply glance at with interest and forget about in minutes. These two things, the boy's note to encourage a stranger, and my niece's joy over an octopus are a beautiful reminder that life's joys are not always found in profound moments. Sometimes they are found in giving of oneself for others, or in seeing God's amazing creativity in nature. And sometimes life's joys are in hearing and seeing simple love and joy through the eyes of a child.