Joy. Pure, effervescent, blanketed warmth radiating from the core and filtering through open mouthed smiles and closed eyes, shining straight from the soul. Have you felt it? I'm not sure I really, truly had. Charlie had been lingering around this morning. He was worried he wouldn't be allowed to go to school.. his uniform hadn't dried in the damp air. He watched me pick weeds from the garden, an open yard intersected by a mountain path for neighbors to go up and down. Kneeling down to wash my hands, I helped him wash his too. Soap is a commodity-- I wasn't sure when he'd used It last. Music rang from my phone that I'd propped up in a pitcher for amplification. In our deep, hand washing squat, we started bouncing to the music, waving our soapy
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