My daughters were ages five and four when we took them to Disney World.  Having grown up on a steady diet of Disney fables, their anticipation of this trip was overwhelming.  Our first morning there, we boarded a bus to the Magic Kingdom – the first stop just had to be Cinderella’s castle.  The only other people on board the bus was a group of senior citizens, all traveling together on a vacation.  My girls were wide-eyed, and at the first glimpse of the spires of the castle, they let out a squeal that still reverberates in my ears more than a decade later.

For me, that was the best part of the trip, before we even got started:  finding my joy through them.  The group of seniors on the bus all laughed and shared the delight of the moment with us; I suspect they saw the faces of their own grandchildren in ours.  I already had my reward before we even started.

On Christmas, as everyone gathers around the tree to open presents, we don’t distribute the gifts and then instruct each family member to go to their individual rooms, open their gifts, and meet back later to compare notes.  As a child, my parents left strict instructions that we were not to sneak downstairs Christmas morning to see what Santa brought – we had to wake them up and all go downstairs together.  The reason, of course, was that the greatest part of the experience for them was watching our faces, and finding their joy in ours.

As an introvert, it’s hard sometimes to welcome community when I’m wired to replenish myself through alone-time, downtime.  And sometimes, an escape to solitude is just what the good Doctor ordered.  But I’ve found when I go without community for even a short stretch, I miss the joy of connecting – not just because I need to, but because I’m most fulfilled by the joy of those I care for the most.  I’ve found I miss the look on their faces when we get together, and seeing their smile is almost as important as seeing my daughters’ reaction to Disney World.  We are all nourished in ways great and small through everyone else’s presence.

Paul said, “Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”  (Phil. 2.2)  His happiness, like ours, is greatest when vicariously experienced in our closest communities.

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