September 30: My Son's Birthday Party, New Cartoon

We celebrated my son's birthday with my family this afternoon.  He got a a LeapPad 2 from Mommy and Daddy, and he got a scooter from his aunts.  Every gift he opened, he got so excited, whether it was a book or a truck or a game.  He loved everything.

I wish I could get as excited as my son over small things like toy trucks or birthday cards.  As we get older, we sort of lose our ability to become really joyful for tiny pleasures.  I remember one Christmas as a kid when I received a huge book about animals.  It covered animals from every continent and ocean.  It was awesome.  I spent the rest of the day sitting on the couch, flipping pages and reading about zebras and gorillas and giant squids.  I think I took that book to bed with me that Christmas night.  I felt like I had won the lottery or been canonized.

As an adult, the closest I've ever come to experiencing that kind of joy again was the New Year's Eve I received a letter from an editor informing me that my book of poems had been accepted for publication.  I remember that night being a little magical.  It was a really good New Year's.

I think the whole world would be a much better place if everyone, from presidents to kings to scientists to popes, would get excited over a Lego truck or a vanilla ice cream cone.  If we could all just be four year olds in spirit, many of the problems that exist in the world would vanish.

Saint Marty is doing his part for world peace.  Give him a bag of Cheetos, and he will be one happy toddler.

Confessions of Saint Marty