I spy joy rising

Having two young children I go to a lot of birthday parties.  And I see a lot of bubbles.  More often than not, I see a lot of bubbles while at the birthday parties.  Yesterday my kids and I were at a joint party for a 5- and a 3-year-old.  Not surprisingly, there were bubbles.  But these were not your ordinary bubbles.  They were huge — some of them a full foot in diameter; and several of the largest bubbles had bubbles within the bubble.  The children were irresistibly drawn to them and took great joy in popping these floating ellipses. It was their enjoyment that drew me over; however, it was the bubbles themselves that kept me there long after the children moved on to other adventures. There was something in the sudsy mix that was different. The skin of the bubble seemed heavier, and they were so tangibly iridescent, so blue and purple and shimmering.  The embodiment of spirit, light and dazzling.  I stood and watched bubble after bubble go up, up and away: joy rising.