The Joy That Bounced into Bloom

A round golden bubble went bounce, bounce, boingfrom Jun’s little knees to his nose.It tickled out laughter wherever it bouncedand warmed all ten of his toes.

Pip’s long ears lifted. He leapt from the wall.“That’s bouncy! I’m coming to see!”Ponder climbed after, his notebook held close.“Save one little bounce there for me!”

Pip bounced one bounce. The bubble bounced two.It boinged on top of the can.Jun clapped one clap. The bubble flashed twice,then zipped round the wall where it began.

Pip wiggled his ears. Jun wiggled his fingers.The gold glowed merry and bright.“Whatever this feeling is doing,” said Jun,“it makes every little thing light!”

The bubble bobbed toward the kitchen door.Jun followed its warm golden light.“Mama! Come see what opened today!”His words tumbled out with delight.

Mama came out and knelt by the flower.Jun showed her each leaf, one by one.“The yellow! The middle! The tall wobbly stem!It looks like a piece of the sun!”

Mama knelt down till their eyes were level.“Your whole face is shining,” she said.“What does the gold make you want to do?”Jun watched it bounce overhead.

“It makes me want to laugh and to show you.It warms me as bright as the sun.It says, ‘Come close! Come see what I’m seeing!’It wants someone else in the fun.”

Mama smiled at the tall yellow flower.“I see why you called me to see.”The bubble stretched from Jun over to Mama,as wide as the branch of a tree.

Then PLIP! went the bubble. Then POP! There were two!Two bubbles sailed through the sky.One danced with Mama. One stayed with Jun.Both shone just as bright to the eye.

Jun peered at his bubble, then Mama’s. “Oh, Pip,did sharing make mine disappear?”From his blue pocket Pip pulled out a string.“Too short! I’ll measure with each ear!”

He stretched out his ears. The two bubbles matched!Both bubbles went ding-a-ling-ding.“I shared it,” said Jun, “but it stayed just as bright!”Ponder watched every bounce, every ring.

Ponder set down his small yellow chair.One bubble sat with a plop.He opened his ochre notebook and asked,“What made the gold bubble hop?”

“The flower,” said Jun. “Then sharing with Mama.It split—and stayed bright as can be.”Ponder drew two equal circles.“And neither grew smaller, I see.”

“It wiggles and warms you and wants to be shared.When you share it, one bubble becomes two.It shines when you notice a wonderful thing.We call it Joy,” Ponder said. “Now you can too.”

The bubbles chimed when they heard their new name.Pip bounced with a joyful cry.Ponder wrote JOY in big ochre letters.Jun waved to the gold. “Now I know why!”

That night Mama tucked Jun under his blanket.The garden had darkened to blue.“The flower’s outside and the day is all done,but Joy has come home with me too.”

Ponder closed his ochre notebook.Pip climbed to the shelf by the bed.Ponder followed; the yellow chair stayed,with Joy shining gold by Jun’s head.