Joy Remembered

Joy Remembered

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him.

Romans 15:13

Sunlight cascaded over the slats of wide metal blinds, landing on the faded cushions of the familiar green-flowered couch. The upright piano stood brown and solemn by the staircase. Its hinged cover, the finish worn from decades of opening and closing, concealed keys that were already uneven and yellowed when my preschool hands had played them.

Each time I visit Aunt Grace and Uncle Robert, I rejoice again that their house is unchanged from the days of my childhood. Though Aunt Grace’s hair is now white and Uncle Robert has Alzheimer’s, their home is still a place in which to relax and be family. And, even in difficult circumstances, it’s a place to laugh.

“I have a joke for you, Kak, about a farmer and his purple pig.” Uncle Robert spoke slowly, but his eyes were already smiling.

“I’m ready! A purple pig?”

Behind him, my aunt lightly smacked her hand to her forehead and rolled her eyes. We had heard that joke at least three times that afternoon. Uncle Robert delighted in describing the purple pig; we had laughed for him every time. But finally Aunt Grace tried to intervene.

“Now, Robert, you just told Kak that joke a few minutes ago,” she said.

“I did?” My uncle sounded astonished.

“You did.”

He looked at his hands, at the autumn sunlight in the window, and finally back to us. Then he said in his most convincing tone, “Well, maybe she forgot.”

Aunt Grace and I dissolved in laughter louder than even the purple pig could evoke. Victorious, Uncle Robert joined in.

—Kathleen Brown

Lord, you offer your joy to us as a strength, a shield against despair, a sign of your presence and love. Remind us to expect joy, to be watchful for it everywhere and all the time. Thank you, Father. Amen.