Splashes of delight

Tonight its Guy Fawkes.  What is it about sending up large amounts of money in smoke that is so appealing?
Actually I have to confess I have a soft spot for the random momentary beauty and delight of a star burst of colour exploding against a darkened sky.  I don't like the noise though and it always bothers me about the poor animals. 

Heard an appalling cruelty case on the radio today about a blackbird found dead with multiple exploded fireworks taped to its poor body.  What horrendous cruelty and what are we breeding in society if people cannot feel empathy for animals?  Studies have linked animal cruelty with a lack of empathy and violence toward persons in adult life.

Having said that the beauty and randomness of exploding sky fireworks (when protected from the noise of them) reminds me of the way joy bursts in on life.  It is often caused by a quick flash of delight, there for an instant then no longer visible but deep inside our minds and hearts we can treasure it and multiple moments form inner streams of joy.  So a splash of momentary delight can become sustaining food for the journey when we harvest it and let ourselves recall the delight it bought.

Today my splash of delight was listening to Matthew laugh.  There is perhaps no more beautiful sound than that of a young child laughing. He was playing hide and seek in the curtain and the expectation of being found and tickled was overwhelmingly funny and delightful for him.  A little childs laughter is spontaneous and unfeigned born of pure delight and it has a particular quality of sound I can only describe as joy.  I am sure it is one of the most pure sounds in the universe and I am convinced that heaven will have an abundance of it because if it brings such delight and joy to us, imagine what joy it brings to the Fathers heart. in fact Jesus promised laughter in heaven when he said; "Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh." (Lk 6:21) 

Perhaps those who perpetrate cruelty have never had the chance to laugh because laughter comes from security, safety, acceptance, trust and happiness. A life filled with lots of laughter born of being loved, accepted and delighted in is a life that will have the capacity for love, respect, empathy and delight in others. So today amidst tiredness and a grotty blind pimple on my face, (you'd think I'd have grown out of them by now!) I have rejoiced in a splash of delight and been the better for it. 

I feel good about frittering away time on play and failing to get all the sensible things like the dishes and the vacuuming, the beds changed and the ironing done, because I know I have stored away special laughter splashes of delight in the heart of a little boy and for that I praise God and am grateful and my own heart has been blessed.  Happy Guy Fawkes and many delight splashes.