“We rise again, in the faces of our children” The Rankin Family
There is often something in my day that ignites a
spark in me calling me to research further. It happened this past Sunday
morning, when through the course of the minister’s sermon, she made mention of
a unique Guatemalan refugee group, who when required to move to a new location,
puts together a committee of people who are in charge of joy.
We are meant to spend our lives happy. I truly believe
this and know that sometimes I have to work at it. You know, when something in life hits hard.
That very Sunday after reading more about the
Guatemalan refugees, I had the fortunate opportunity to be with my son Max at
John Cleese’s lecture The Last Time to See Me Before I Die tour, and it was extraordinary. Not only was it
hilarious but also enlightening. Enlightening because my son openly shared so
much with me about what he deemed important about the lecture. Max and I
communicate well with each other but I caught a glimpse of what is becoming
even more important in his life and better yet, that he continues to value joy.
I know that it is challenging when he has deadlines and is not sure how to
prioritize, when a friend asks something of him and he wants to oblige but
isn’t sure if he should, or when he simply has to cook dinner, wishing that a
wholesome meal would just appear. In all of this, I have noticed that he still
creates time for fun. Not just the going out to the bar kind of fun, which he
certainly does his college share of, but the kind of fun that fills him with
joy, like getting lost in a game of volleyball, going for a run until the
adrenalin released offers him great satisfaction, or belly laughing until it
hurts.
As we drove home, I remarked on how lucky we had been
that the weather had held and we could travel with ease to and from Calgary and
asked him if he had checked the weather forecast.
“No”, he replied, “I don’t do
that anymore. I just enjoy each day.”
~ Ellyn
