Joy, happiness-whatever you want to call it-is something everyone wants. Would you feel joy if you won the lottery? I sure would! How about if you got a new car? They look all shiny and smell good. What if you reconnected with a friend you’d lost touch with years ago? Wouldn’t you love to catch up?
Here’s a list of some things that have brought me joy in the past week.
1.The students who attend the local high school where I work raised over five thousand dollars to help defray funeral expenses for two students who died in a car accident over the weekend. The accident was a great tragedy which almost breaks my heart, but it brought me joy to know that the students cared enough to help a grieving family.
2.It brought me great joy when so many of my friends and family members remembered my birthday and either called or sent me a card.
3.As I walked into the door yesterday, one of my coworkers stopped me to say how much she enjoyed The Best Selling Toy Of The Season. It made my day.
4.It’s cold in South Carolina, just as it is in the Mid West and the North East. My car was cold when I left work yesterday, but when I got home and went inside I was greeted by the luscious smell of the pot roast I put in the Crock Pot before I left home. What joy to smell such a warm, homey aroma after being out in the cold.
None of these things are especially significant in themselves, and possibly none of them would have pleased you, but I think true joy lies in the small things of life. Most people I know are so stressed and harried they think joy is something they’ll experience in the future when the kids are grown, or maybe after they’ve made a lot of money and can travel to exotic locations. I do it too, so I know how it goes.
Personally, I’ve resolved to do better. I don’t want to come to the end of life and find I’ve missed so many chances to find joy. Okay, what about you? Tell me what gave you joy this past week. Everyone who responds will be entered in a drawing for an ecopy of either Purple Heart or The Welcome Inn. Your choice.