through stone

joy is contagious

i caught it from you

you carried it through

generations of laughter

i caught it from you

held you best i could

generations of laughter

baby waterfall

held you best i could

while you were small enough

baby waterfall

you break ways through mountains

while you were small enough

before

you broke your way through stone

i lifted you

before

you carried it through

i carried you

joy is contagious

Joy is contagious seems like a strange thing to say during a pandemic. But you can see it in the picture, the way joy spreads, the way our connection to each other’s joy teaches us that joy, like any energy, is not individually held but already shared. What if we built our lives accordingly. In this time when many of us are feeling the grief of not being able to share joy in person with the loved ones we have lost, or who we cannot be with because of the safety concerns brought on by a pandemic that never had to go this far and kill this many, it is important to me that we remember that joy is not limited by space or time. Joy moves through us. My father’s joy is here with me right now because it was never only his, just like it will never be singularly mine, it always belongs to all of us. This is a picture of our family trip to Dunn’s River Falls during my very first trip to Jamaica for my great grandmother Sarah’s funeral. It teaches me something that even though the journey was prompted by a solemn occasion, the love that was my great grandmother’s legacy, her mothering impact on her own children but also many grandchildren, daughter’s in law, community members was not closed off when she was buried. Like a waterfall, breaking even through stone, joy comes through. What a gift that all this joy will not be contained to my one life here on earth. What a miracle that I get to celebrate the infinity of that right now.

P.S. My every day writing practice shapes my days into vessels for generations of love. If you want support with your own daily creative practice, I’d love to be part of your journey. This is the Stardust and Salt Daily Creative Practice Intensive.