Simple Joys

Do you ever take the time to look at the world through a child's eyes? To really think about the world the way they think about it?  Besides seeing everything from a much lower elevation, children have a really unique and simple way of looking at the world.   For them, everything is black or white, it's right or it's wrong, and it's all about justice and fairness.  Children are free, they love to help people, and the littlest thing can be the biggest adventure.

Children are simple.  Not easy, but simple.  Do what's right.  Be fair.  Show love.  See the world as the big adventure it is.   Pretty good advice, right?  So, how do we put that advice into practice? Good question.  It's something I'll be mulling over this week to be sure.

The song below is one of the few things that I actively recall learning in college.  Probably from the trauma of having to SING it for a grade in my musical education class.  (I can't carry a tune to save my life...).  But, I think that it's also probably the message in the song that's kept it in my brain for the last 15+ years.

"Simple Gifts" was written by Elder Joseph while he was at the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine in 1848. These are the lyrics to his one-verse song:

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,

To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right.

May you be blessed with the gifts of simplicity and freedom this week.