Joy for You and Me

In this life only a very few are able to enjoy the kind of contentment and happiness that is deep and intense and lasting--we have a name for it--we call it joy.

Joy is dancing in the rain

A sunset on a secluded beach

Chancing upon a perfect rainbow

The laughter of a little baby

The feeling of a job well done

Wild horses galloping across a field

A flower kissed by a butterfly

The sound of waves against the rocks

A well performed play

Starry, starry nights

An ice cream cone on a hot day

The realization that someone loves you

The pure exhaustion after winning a race

The beauty of adoring eyes

The grace of a jet in the clouds

The playfulness of puppies

Dozing off in a cool breeze with the sun shining on your face

Pushing a child in a swing

Pretending to be lost in the swirls of a perfect snow

Knowing that all is forgiven

The graceful hover of a hummingbird

Finding your way

The smile that rises within you after a secret gift

~ Winsome

Most people search all their lives for happiness or at the very least, for some measure of peace. While many achieve some happiness, few are able to sustain it.

In this life only a very few are able to enjoy the kind of contentment and happiness that is deep and intense and lasting--we have a name for it--we call it joy.

Cultivating and creating joy is the pinnacle of existence. It is the difference between living a life and celebrating it. Joy is like a river running deep and fresh in your soul that flourishes despite adversity, criticism, loss and misunderstandings.

There are all kinds of things that can bring us momentary feelings of joy. The article begins with a few of the things that bring me joy. Some produce a momentary happiness and others a glorious sense of well-being that lasts a lifetime.

Something of God...flows into us from the blue of the sky, the taste of honey, the delicious embrace of water whether cold or hot, and even from sleep itself. ~ C.S. Lewis, 'Scraps', St. James' Magazine

Bliss … as though you’d suddenly swallowed a bright piece of that late afternoon sun and it burned in your bosom, sending out a little shower of sparks into every particle ~ Katherine Mansfield.

Joy … felt it rumbling within him like a subterranean river ~ André Malraux

She found herself thinking of him at the oddest moments. She was in the bank and without thinking began writing his name all over her deposit book as she waited.

He awoke from sleep, in his dream he had found himself lost in a deep cavern. Awake now he smiled as he looked around and saw his child asleep between them. His heart almost hurting with pride and love.

"What do consider your most valuable asset?" he asked her. She thought for a moment. "I can see beauty in every person I meet." she answered. He flushed. He knew this about her already.

He answered his cell and could barely hear the voice in pain. "Dad my motorcycle was hit. Julie and I were thrown into the middle of the street. Can you come?" He jumped in his car, picked a certain song, turned it up and sped off down the street, his voice confident, tears streaming down, his prayers done, hearing a divine promise. No one would die today.

She said to herself: "I'm ashamed to call my parents but I am so tired of living in the street. I'll just ask if I can sleep in the garage." When she was a block away, her father saw her and began to run toward her. He held her close as she stumbled through her rehearsed speech. "Your mother has your room waiting for you we haven't changed a thing."

The old doctor took the plate of berries and fish and put it down. He hadn't seen real money since he came to the village twenty years ago, but children he had helped birth were now bringing their children to him. He thought about the decade he had spent in a large practice in Boston. Funny how he felt wealthier now than he had ever been.

The ability to choose is freedom, choosing what you want is happiness, choosing what is best for someone else is joy ~ Winsome

The things that make us sad are disappointments in ourselves and others, being alone, being lost, having no hope, being lied to, cheated, rejected and shamed. We are sad when our love is not reciprocated, sad when we have failed someone, sad when we don't know where we are going.

It follows then that Joy results from the opposite of these things--friendship, being found, having hope, hearing the truth, being treated fairly, feeling accepted and valued. Having our love returned, having a sense of victory, knowing who we are and where we are going can be a joy.

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever ~ Psalms 16:11 NAS

The God of the universe is a happy being and tells us that He and all of heaven rejoices when one of us comes to the conclusion that we can't do it on our own and looks to Him for help.

I like to think that gratitude for that help is one of the most powerful forces at our disposal. When we are thankful for the things or abilities or relationships we have, we begin to experience joy. There are people who have come to this country out of unimaginable hardships. If we can grasp this we might be able to have more joy in the things we take for granted.

Over 100 million children are homeless and living in the streets.

Half the world (3 billion people) are living on less than $2.50 a day. 80% live on less than $10 a day or $300 a month.

Almost a billion children did not enter school in 2005.

A billion people entered the 21st century without being able to read or sign their name.

There are about 2.2 billion children in the world and every second child lives in poverty. One in three do not have adequate shelter, one in five have no access to safe water and one in seven have no access to health services. 121 million of them are not in school. 10 million of them die before they are 5, 1.4 million die each year because of unsafe water and sanitation, 2.2 million die from lack of immunization, and 15 million are orphaned because of HIV/AIDS.

You are asking yourself right now, how can joy come out of this knowledge? I will tell you.

Do something about it. Target one of the needs--water, health services, sanitation, education, diseases or shelter. There are organizations targeting each of these needs. Volunteer or give money or if you are just making it yourself and write as I do, write about it and encourage those who can to make a difference.

There have been some very simple inventions that have the potential to radically alter the statistics above for the better.

Lifestraws

Lifestraws were invented by Danish Clothing manufacturer, Mikkel Frandsen. Forbes Magazine calls it one of the Ten Things That Will Change The Way We Live. By filtering water at the point of use, this low-cost straw filters about 1000 liters or enough for one person for a year. Even if you get your child's class or your club to buy only a few of these, it could save lives.

SunSaluter

I don't know why someone didn't think about it before now, but imagine the joy that nineteen-year-old Princeton student Eden Full is enjoying. She created a solar panel that rotates to face the sun, increasing the panels’ efficiency by 40 percent. And to top it off, no electricity is needed to power the panels. It uses simple coils that expand and contract according to outdoor conditions.

Composting Toilets

In places like Haiti where the soil has been eroded. Not only is sanitation an issue, but replenishing the soil is a priority. These toilets turn the process into soil replenishing compost that can be easily retrieved and used. The process is relatively odor-free and some, called an "Arberloo," involve planting a tree in the unit. "I think that I shall never see a loo as lovely as a toilet-tree."

One Laptop Per Child

This non-profit organization has developed the low-cost ($199) XO 3.0 computer tablet. It is encased in green rubber, is designed to be rugged for outdoor use, and it includes an eight-inch screen and an energy-efficient Marvell processor and supports Android and Linux. It has a power charging port that can use hand cranks or solar panels.

As I related above, Joy results from the opposite of discouraging things--friendship, being found, having hope, hearing the truth, being treated fairly, feeling accepted and valued--having our love returned, having a sense of victory, knowing who we are and where we are going.

In addition to gratitude and helping developing countries, there are those less fortunate than us everywhere we look. I do not mean financially. You've heard the saying "If you meet a person who doesn't have a smile, give them one of yours." That is a quick way to spread some joy.

Other ways include writing someone in the armed forces who may not have any letters from home. If you are really courageous, as opposed to being a little weird for them, you can write to prisoners.

If you like to sing, like I do, try taking your guitar or accordion, heck even a banjo to a rest home and give a little joy to the less ambulatory of us. If you can't carry a tune, carry some groceries to someone without a car or read a book to someone in the hospital.

The people most available to us are sometimes the hardest to talk to. If you know someone in your family or friends are going through discouraging times, maybe a call to chat or a visit to just hang out may allow you and them to experience joy.

The most effective and guaranteed method to create joy is to forgive someone or ask them to forgive you. One of the 12 steps in AA is to make things right with those you have hurt or wronged. We've heard about the "Joy of Giving." The joy of for-giving beats regular giving hands down.

In fact, if you were to reduce the whole Gospel down to one word it could be--forgiveness. The "good news" those who have found it are to spread to the world is the simple news that we can be forgiven. Try it. After you have forgiven everyone you can think of, you are ready for Winsome's three steps of joyful living.

1. What others think of you is none of your business

2. What others say or do to you does not absolve you of your responsibility to be yourself and respond with character, not sink to their level of acting or talking.

3. Try telling yourself before you interact with someone, "I may not agree with this person nor approve of some things they do or say, but I will totally approve of them as a person. They can do nothing to change my resolve about this."

Well wonderful friends, if you've gotten all the way to here, you are true friends indeed. Go on the adventure with me. See if this day you can create joy for yourself and those you meet. The world has enough people spreading bad news and ill will--let's see if we can make a better, more joyous world--one person at a time.