Today we went to the park to spread joy to all of the people in Antigua. We blew bubbles and held signs that said “free hugs” and “can I pray for you?”. Because of the gloomy weather, we didn’t see a whole lot of people at first. As I stood there looking around I spotted a couple of kiddos off in the distance, so my friend Julia and I walked over to them to blow bubbles. The kids were probably 2 and 3 and seemed kind of scared of us at first (and by “kind of” I mean they quickly tried to hide behind their moms skirt). As we began blowing bubbles their attitude quickly shifted as they chased after the bubbles with the sweetest smiles and lots of giggles coming out of their mouths. We watched their joy spread to their mom as well as the tourists and locals standing around watching.
As I stood there with a big smile on my face all I could think of was my sweet momma. I’m pretty sure my mom loves blowing bubbles more than anyone I know. We have a constant supply of bubble wands and bubble toys at our house. The kids I babysit LOVE coming to our house because they know my mom will blow bubbles and do sidewalk chalk with them. But even when we don’t have kids over, I’ll still catch my mom blowing bubbles in the yard by herself. I always told her we didn’t need anymore bubbles and that they were a waste of money. I never really understood why she loved blowing bubbles so much, but today I think I finally figured it out.
Bubbles bring so much joy to the people around them. Whether you’re the one blowing the bubbles, popping the bubbles, or just watching children chase after them, they’re bound to put a smile on your face. It even lead to people hugging us and allowing us to pray over them. I had no idea how big of an impact bubbles could make in a little park.
Today the bubbles also brought community between us and the people of Antigua. Even though we didn’t speak the same language, we came together smiling and laughing. As we stood in the pouring rain, blowing bubbles with our new friends, I couldn’t help but thank Jesus for everything around me. I thanked him for the rain, my squad, all of the people we encountered, the abundance of joy I was surrounded with, and even the bubbles.
So momma, I’m sorry for making fun of your bubble addiction. I now understand how wonderful and fun those little rainbow balls of soap are, and why they made you so happy. Thank you for playing with me, making me laugh, and showing me how to find joy in the little things! Love you!!
Joyfully His,
Liz
