the joy of our lives

My nephew Matt visited this past week with his wife Shannon and three year old son Jack.  The visit was a delight.  The kid was a continuous source of sunshine.  Running from room to room; singing nonsensically; reading from his children's books; and yes even when snoozing--he was so cute you wanted to take a picture of the way he looked with his eyes closed, his tiny body breathing in and out.

I read a post on facebook from a grandmother who commented to a friend that her grandchild was the "joy of our lives." I can see that after spending just two days with Matt, Shannon, and Jack.  Jack was three feet of joy 24/7.  Of course, I was not the one who had to potty train him, or discipline him on the rare occasion the kid needed any--and I didn't have to worry about him behaving badly when the four of us went to a restaurant (the kid did not need to be disciplined--he behaved better than the tipsy trio at an adjacent table).  I understand that there are draining responsibilities, but they come with the territory and that territory seems rich with joy. The three days were a good illustration of what was meant by the facebook post.   The "our lives" inclusion was revealing as well.   There is as much joy in sharing time and being able to refer to life as ours, as there is in observing a young life develop.