Yesterday, my eyes fell on this photo. This is my grandson who has left Lebanon after the explosion of Beirut in 2020. It is not only the longing for him that prompted me to write these lines, but also my great love for his constant insistence on appearing joyful. His face has often drawn me into asking myself what goes through his head when he keeps on smiling. Is joy his way of reaching out to people, near and far? Does he want to move them to joy? Does he want them to remember him as a source of delight to them (it benefits him in times of mischief!)? What I know is that he always tends to smile, on his own, without anyone asking him to. Will you tell me: “you are writing about our own children”? I am writing about our responsibility for joy, the joy (that is) a mission, which, every time we forget, God sends us “an angel” to remind us of it!
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