Bundles of joy

I dare you to not click on the link below. Even if you are among the millions who already have, especially if you are among the millions, you will not resist the one minute of pure joy those four babies radiate, vibrate, integrate.I think the four little monkeys could teach a lesson on joy. I hope so  because I confess I’m not very good at this whole joy thing. It became painfully clear this week with the publication of my novel. People congratulated me and while I graciously accepted with thanks, my inner grumpy cynic said, “Really? Who cares? They’re just saying it to be nice.”The pastor at my church considers himself a bit of a prophet because a couple of weeks back, the word from Jesus was ‘babies’. The following week he learned that four women in the church were expecting. Yep, four. Just like the picture above. He was ecstatic, his long strides up and down the church aisles swivelling the heads of the congregation in order to track him, his arms sweeping across to whip up applause for the expectant parents, his voice loud and impassioned. Out popped my cynic: “Oh for heaven’s sake, it’s just four. You won’t fill an ark with four of anything.”Except that’s not how joy works, is it? Joy has nothing to do with accomplishment, really. Do those babies experience joy because they invented the father who makes funny faces or the mother who makes them warm and comfortable so they can enjoy the funny faces? No, joy is what happens when right things collide. When a quick word with Jesus leads to four pregnancy announcements, when a soft Mommy bed is paired with Daddy picture show, when the story in my head builds into something that others can grab hold of.The greatest joy for me in book-making will always be in the solitary creation of it. That’s when my real things collide.Now, if you already haven’t, give over to the babies….