Joy to the World

Those of you reading my blog at a distance have, I hope, gotten some kind of sense of our bustling office. The to-ing and fro-ing of volunteers, the team list including “the soup lady” (Mary Margaret who makes delicious home made soups for the team every day!), my “driver” Susan who faithfully checks every route before we attempt to be two places at the same time (warping the time/space continuum being an essential logistical detail), but I have not mentioned one other team member – “The Busker.” Brian Grills is a brilliant musician. He plays a trumpet and has made his living on the street since becoming disabled 11 years ago. Recently, the London Free Press featured him in a sad story. Brian announced that the streets were no longer safe for him. He had been attacked too often, had his horn damaged, and was no longer going to be making a joyful noise on the street corners of London. Thanks to another key volunteer, Andrea who acts for seniors and the disabled, Brian has been drawn into my campaign. He busks just outside our office door with a place to duck in for soup or coffee and to warm up. Yesterday, I was really exhausted (I suppose I will be again today!), but I was also feeling a bit down. I was walking up the block to our office and heard the glorious sound of a trumpet giving forth “Joy to the World.”. I went from feeling a bit low to singing lustily, my heart soaring. And then it occurred to me that joy and hope are at the heart of my campaign. People voting for me have a huge smile on their faces. They light up when they wave at me from their passing car. They stop me on the street to say they are (or have already) voted for me. Who knows how this will unfold? But for now, it is so wonderful to give people a chance to cast a ballot, not with resignation and a sense of duty, but joyfully!