Fishing for Joy

I was walking down that old familiar beach,
That beloved place where I often pause to listen,
my feet slowly and deeply caressing the sand.
I looked up and there he was down at the far end,
A boy of about ten years, barefoot at the edge of the water.
He held a pole with a string dangling from the end of it.
I'd had several conversations with him on other visits.
As I approached, I commented, "Wow! You're fishing!"
with a grin on my face in response to the pleasure on his.
"Nah!" he answered in refute, "I'm not fishing."
"I just like holding the pole and watching the string."
I couldn't help but laugh in delight at his reply.
Then with a deep sigh of letting go and some slight hesitation
I gave myself permission to sit down and watch with him in silence.
We spent the rest of the afternoon
fishing for Joy.

~Jules
January 8, 2015