I had one of those
epiphanies, where I realized that moments of joy in my life were neither
created nor re-created by me.
Put another way, I
can do things that I think might bring me joy, or repeat things that brought me
joy before. But neither guaranties I would have the experience.
The mystery of
joy, that feeling that things are in place and the place is beautiful, comes
when it comes and thus is a moment of grace.
I thought about C.
S. Lewis’s masterpiece, SURPRISED BY
JOY. It's an autobiographical account of his discovery of faith. It mysteriously
echoes his finding earthly love and marriage later in life, with his wife Joy
Davidman. The book was published before they met.
When I read this
book many years ago, I focused on the “Joy” in the title. Now I’m meditating on
the “Surprised.”
9 comments:
I loved Surprised by Joy. Our priest makes a distinction between joy (which is internal and one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit) and pleasure, which is due to externals and is important too. But even in the most difficult times, we can choose joy. Today I picked a chickadee feather and a red maple leaf, not a surprise given it's fall but so pretty to have on my kitchen counter.
Wishing you serendipity today. Is the painting by Chagall?
It has a Chagall feel, doesn't it? Call it "inspired by"
I agree. It comes when it comes. That’s the beauty of it.
You're right, joy can't be forced. It's a gift. And I'm wishing you much joy, my friend.
What you've written feels right to me. I can walk along the same bluff trail every day, gaze out at the water and up at the sky, watch the birds and marine mammals, and know how fortunate I am to live at the Pacific Ocean. But some of those times, I am suddenly infused with such a sense of overwhelming joy, one that is impossible to predict when it will come nor what will cause it to arise. A synonym for "joy" is "delight." I looked up the etymology and learned that it comes from a Latin verb that means "to charm." We are unexpectedly charmed, magically infused with the wonder of being alive in the moment. All we can do to prepare for its arrival is to be present and notice.
Did you do the painting? Or is it a drawing? I really like it.
Love,
Janie
Not my work, but fitting my experience of *joy*
Good post.
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