I have a friend Jack who brings me both joy and sadness. I truly love Jack, and I feel his love for me, though that is a word he would never use. We can laugh together and reminisce about the experiences we have shared. He is transparent enough with me that I an truly a witness to him and his life. He listens well to me and probes into my life in a way that affirms my presence and his interest in me.
I am sometimes sad when I talk with Jack because he seems to have so little hope. He seems to be open to so little of the future and is pained with the uncertainty. His world sounds like a threatening disturbance, not a place of curiosity and interest. He seems to be the source of so much of the pain he is trying to avoid.
I want him to be able to take delight in what he does, rather than see it as a burden, something he has to do. I wish he could take over his life and choose what he does . Sometimes it seems that he is the pawn of his life and those around him. He has a choice in so many things, yet he seems to be stuck in a mode of damage control.
I want so many things for Jack, but especially for him to experience delight and joy. I want him to feel the thrill of looking out the window and seeing the glow of blue lights on a Fir tree. I want him to feel the rush of excitement on the adventure he is about to take. I want him to look forward to the new day when he gets up in the morning. In short, I want to share with him the joys of being alive.