I don’t think I know what joy is. I may have known at one point, but I don’t know now. Don’t get me wrong, I like plenty of things – a delicious meal, a good night of sleep, family time, etc. . I even love certain things, but I don’t know joy – pure unadulterated joy.
My son loves Thomas. There are no ifs ands or buts about it. I am nearly certain he loves the character more than anything else in life. I am just glad he does not have to choose between me and Thomas. I couldn’t take the drama. He watches the show, plays with the trains, reads the books, and sings the songs. He has asked for a Thomas birthday party – it should be a surprise by the way on the day he has told us. Do you think he’ll be surprised?
We have had a behavior modification chart on the refrigerator for the past three weeks. What was the present that he would receive when he completed the chart? You guessed it – a Thomas train – Stanley to be exact. Each time my son wore his weighed vest, he put a sticker (yes, Thomas) on the chart and the he inched one step closer to completion.
He completed the chart and immediately and repeatedly asked “Where’s Stanley?” My wife knew we were on the cusp of this auspicious moment, so she had ordered the train and had it ready to deliver into his excited little hands. Well, he reached his goal on Friday afternoon and therefore instead of getting the engine, he received the envelope and was told he could not open it till Saturday evening. It was delayed gratification at its most excruciating. By the time Saturday rolled around, each hour loomed longer and more difficult. I was not around for the final hour, but I am told it rolled by minute by minute.
I was not there at the moment my son received his new train, however I am sure it was a glorious moment. When I got home, he had the train firmly gripped in his hand. He patiently showed it to me and even allowed me to pretend zoom it as he watched proudly. The only reason the train was not in his hand when he fell asleep was because I insisted he give it to me. Once he saw it resting by his bedside, he allowed himself to relax and fell joyfully asleep.
larry, do Shammai and Bezalel greet you when you get home, do they smile when they see you home. That is pure unadulterated joy.
Sometimes they do – depends on what they are doing. I certainly do enjoy that but I wouldn’t call it that. Do your kids? When does that stop?