Pure joy is a wonderful sight to behold.  It is infectious, liberating, and inspirational.  One would think we would experience that joy often given how fortunate we are to have a roof over our heads, a decent meal on the table every night, and access to a host of materialistic goods.  However, I think the “pure joy” is too often missing in our lives.

Last week, my family was fortunate enough to witness that joy over and over again on the faces of the kids in La Chureca.  My kids, Hannah, 16, and Connor, 13, got to play lacrosse in the middle of the Mangua City dump with a dried up piece of fruit.  The kids had a blast. Just pick up.  No rules.  No instruction.  Just fun throwing around.  It is amazing how open the kids are:  laughter, hugs, genuine smiles.  And this is how they act with strangers! Imagine if that is how we all acted with strangers!  What a wonderful world we would live in!

People think it so “nice” that we went down to “help” the kids.  I tell them that they have it all wrong…those kids help me.  They remind me that relationships are the most important and fulfilling possessions that anyone can have.  That giving a smile or a hug is a genuine gift.