“Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.”

– Karl Barth

If what Karl Barth says is true, then I have had one of the most joyous, filled-with-gratitude weekends I can remember!  The question is, which came first — the chicken or the egg, the joy or the gratitude?  On Saturday, we had one of our infamous double-birthday parties.  There are three times each year when birthdays are either on the same day or so close together that celebrating them separately would require way too much cake; so we have blended celebrations.  My husband and my daughter share the same birthday; and for her entire childhood, his celebration revolved around sleepovers and hairdo parties.  My oldest granddaughter and I have birthdays a day apart, and I like to use hers as a way of distracting people from the fact that I also am a year older.

The biggest bash always seems to come in May.  I think it’s partly due to the fact that the weather is just warm enough to warrant a picnic.  Everyone is enthusiastic about the first opportunity of the year to run and play and overeat in the open air.  I’m guessing that this year the thought of a cookout was particularly alluring, because when we counted later, we realized that there had been 33 guests at our party — fifteen of them kids between three months and fourteen years old.

Now there is something to be grateful for!  Who could imagine that so many people would come to celebrate birthdays with Lily (8) and Cheyenne (3).  There were parents and grandparents, family and friends, lots of good food and covered dishes.  And we found joy in the company and gratitude for the abundance.  The babies were loved by so many that day; and there was joy in the feeling of holding new life and excitement in the little ones who took in all the activity around them.  The young ones — eight of them between ages 3 and 8 — jumped on the mini-tramp, explored the hideaway under the tree, blew bubbles, threw balls, took swing rides, and played in the sandbox.  Colorful attempts at writing their names remained on the sidewalk until an evening storm washed the chalk away.  There was unbridled joy in doing new things and the grown-ups were grateful that there was not a single skirmish or skinned knee in the midst of it all.  The four teenagers shadowed the little ones, talked to the babies, and then found a corner to enjoy each other’s company.

And I ask once again, does gratitude come as a result of joy, or does joy bubble over when we take a moment to feel thankful?  I will answer my own question, I guess, and say that I think the two — joy and gratitude — dance a spiral dance through our lives.  I remember the days when my children were babies and joy filled the play time we spent together.  Youth was my companion, and innocence was something that still was so near I could reach out and touch it and dance joyfully right along with my kids.  Gratitude fit into the cracks and the crevices in those days, the carefree days when life was so simple that all of us took it for granted.  Now, as a grandmother, with some years behind me, I find that I live my days in gratitude.  I know now that life can be harsh sometimes, and my heart swells with thanks when abundant joy shines through on such a magical day and bubbles to the surface and draws me into the dance.

No matter how grateful we may be, it is easy to dwell on the parts of life that worry or sadden us.  It is easy to let those things become the background music and to drag our feet instead of kicking them high in the air.  It is easy to see ourselves as only serious and sometimes burdened and not very much fun at all.  It is good to have days of joy to renew us and help us to see who we are.

A new family attended our party this year; and they brought with them a gift of perspective.  ”It was so wonderful just to spend a day with a whole group of people who were happy and carefree and to leave our troubles behind.”  Not one of us has a life without complication.  Not one of us is immune to challenges or sorrow.  What this comment showed me at our birthday picnic was that joy does bubble to the surface; and whether we can see it or not, others will notice and share our joy.  And for this, I am truly grateful.