What it is

Paint gets everywhere, on his legs, on the rough red of the patio bricks, on the paper, and I nod. “Yes,” I say, “Yes that’s awesome! Do some more.” And he grins, swirling the brush through the paint, confident in my pleasure.

He swipes the paper with a bold stroke of red, thick as jelly, and looks up, checking for my grin. Then a smile alights softly on his face, like a playful cat, matching my own. So here we are, in this moment of pure joy. All previous frustrations, tantrums, exhaustion, entirely obliterated by this bright happiness.

Each day I learn this, again and again: allowing someone to make you happy is the ultimate forgiveness. Allowing a small gesture of joy or tenderness to pool in your heart, again and again and again, even when things have come up short. To open, even after words have zig-zagged like blistered arrows across the room and leaving dark trails of hurt across the heart; to allow a small fissure for pleasure to split sorrow in half like a opened melon, this is forgiveness.

*** PS--the theme over at Mama Says Om this week is forgive, go check it out.