the following is part of a conversation in which my dad made an effort to encourage my brother to choose good over the not-so-good:

dad: "don't embrace the dark side, son."
brother: "does that mean i can't hug emily anymore?"

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the past three days i have spent driving through the countryside of virginia.

it makes me smile to drive through the miles of rolling farmland. you see cows idling and grazing on the endless grassy fields. a smattering of trees lines the dirt road that leads to a whitewashed clapboard farmhouse on the highest hill in the distance, perfect in its quaintness, and so undisturbed by the modern world. i dream about the people who live there and what simple lives they must lead; large, happy families, with grey-haired grandmothers who wear white hats to church on sundays and barefoot children with lively, sun-kissed faces. the husband works hard on the farm all day and comes home to a freshly cooked meal and a satisfied young wife.

i wonder about the serenity of all this, the richness and easiness of the lives of my imagined people. i imagine they really take things as they come, taking pleasure in simplicity and life's beautiful moments. they revel in the little miracles of daily life and with strong and simple faith trust God for life and death and all things. they aren't highly educated people, and ask no questions they see as impractical.

they live simply, and are completely joyful in simply living.

wouldn't that be wonderful?