BUBBLING JOY!

Well, it finally happened!  I guess that I am fully initiated into southern/east coast living… I got a small case of Poison Ivy!  I used to break out into rashes of Poison Oak quite regularly as a kid and in fact, got a fairly severe case about two weeks before Piper and I got married!  We had been out at her Grandmother’s ranch on Riebli Road (most likely to care for her horse) when we spotted about a dozen old fruit boxes scattered all around the outside of the barn. 

We agreed that they could make for a unique set of shelving in our apartment (that was being furnished in vintage hand-me-downs), so we climbed into the tall grass and collected our new treasures!  And the rest is history.  Sad to say that I got a terrible rash all over my body… but the glad news was that the weeping, itchy sores had healed and all that was left come our wedding day was a bunch of scars!

When I went to my doctor’s office on Tuesday to get a flu shot, I showed the nurse my itchy spot and asked if she knew what it was, and without a moment’s hesitation said “Poison Ivy!”  It turns out that Fiver’s favorite morning relief spot at the foot of the pond in the park, just happens to be in an area filled with Poison Ivy!  I had my suspicion’s and proved it out with my plant identification app.  So today we found a new favorite spot!

But even with the Poison Ivy, I couldn’t resist finding things to laugh about over the last few days as I continued to read Psalm 119:162 from The Passion Translation.  After writing quite a bit about the truth of God’s Word and of his devotion to it, David penned, “Your promises (O Lord) are the source of my bubbling joy; the revelation of your word thrills me like one who has discovered hidden treasure.”  And every time I have looked at this translation, I can’t help but think of how it was the PERFECT description of my beloved wife!

The picture of having “BUBBLING JOY” has repeatedly gotten me remembering many of the seemingly countless times over the years of when Piper would break out into hilarious, contagious and sometimes, uncontrollable laughter!  I never realized the power or effect that Piper’s joyous laughter had over people and/or situations… until the Alzheimer’s stole her voice and physical emotions.  It became amazingly apparent during her family gatherings once her outward expressions of joy were silenced.  The atmosphere dramatically changed from that of a light hearted and uplifting event to one of quiet sullenness.

One of my favorite pastimes when Piper and I were together was to make her laugh… which as I implied… didn’t take much effort on my part.  For instance, there were multiple times when she would be pulling on her socks in the morning when I would run over to where she sat, pick up one of her little feet (size 6.5) and begin to tell the story of “This Little Piggy” while I gently wiggled each of her (tiny!) toes singing:

“This little piggy went to the market,

This little piggy stayed home,

This little piggy had roast beef,

This little piggy had none,

And this little piggy cried wee wee wee all the way home.”

And without fail… by the time I got to her smallest toe and laughingly sang “crying wee, wee, wee, all the way home” she would be lost in almost uncontrollable laughter!  Then there were the tickling contests.  I was always very ticklish, but she wasn’t… EXCEPT for her one point of weakness… squeezing her knees!  So, as we tussled around on the bed or floor, she would be unmercifully tickling me with one hand while holding my hand that was trying to get to her knees!  Of course, I was laughing pretty hard throughout the event as would be Piper, with the addition of a bright red face while straining to keep me from my target.

Well, the closer I got, the more she would squeal “JIM! NO!” which only got me to pursue my goal with even more resolve until I finally wore her down… but I only had to give her knee a gentle squeeze for us both to be rolling on our backs laughing to the point of tears!  Another time while vacationing with her family at The Sea Ranch, during a fun game of table tennis with other members of her family, she got to laughing so hard that she had to literally run to the bathroom to take care of an unexpected event!

She also loved to share her bubbling joy with all the youth and children’s groups that we ministered to over the years and she fit right into my Italian family’s somewhat loud and boisterous, fun-filled holiday gatherings.  My Dad was always a quiet jokester and she and he found a quick connection sharing jokes and other funny quips with each other.  I’d mentioned before that the Berruto Homeschool was like none other, and most of that was due not only to her passion for it, but also for her uncanny ability to turn any situation into something to be happy about, and/or to praise the Lord for.

She and I could find something to laugh about at almost any time. I can recall us laughing at lunch out on the athletic field on nice days in high school, while walking hand in hand around the campus and community in Chico California when we attended college, in the delivery rooms each time one of our kids were born, on family vacations when she would do things out-of-the-blue that surprised us and brought us to laughter, and during times of anointed Praise and Worship at church.  

And even when she was totally disabled and confined to her wheelchair, I kept up a light hearted and joyous atmosphere as I wanted to keep things as normal as possible for her…  and she would still occasionally surprise me or a guest with a big smile… and I’ll never forget her last words that she spoke to me a few months before she passed when she suddenly seemed to come out of a daze while I was feeding her one morning, turned to me and exclaimed with a huge, joyous smile “I love you!”

Now one may think that she was special and unique, and she was… BUT… the source of her BUBBLING JOY is the same One that can and will empower each of us to live a life that is filled with a special JOY in the midst of any situation that comes our way in this life.  According to the Psalmist David, that source is THE WORD of GOD!  The study and subsequent revelation of the Word of God that filled and thrilled my wife was the key to her life and lifestyle of praise, peace, grace-fulness and BUBBLING JOY.

She loved to be in the Word, and while she wasn’t an early morning get up and study the Word type of individual, she would take the opportunity to study it every chance she could throughout the day.  She always carried a pocket New Testament in her purse and many times would be seen carrying one of her regular Bibles with her when going out grocery shopping or running errands.  Like I have said many times, it was just who she was.  Her life and the way she lived it, as well as the way she talked and walked from day to day, was an outward expression of her Christianity!

She was a living, breathing product of her pursuit of the source of joy, peace, enlightenment, wisdom and eternal life… Jesus Christ.  And you know what?  If it worked for her… then I know that it can (& does) work for you and me!

Is the Word of God of God your source of BUBBLING JOY that thrills you when you hear it?  Why not?

Have a wonderful rest of the week… and keep expecting God’s best!