Greetings To All of You Joy Filled Luminous Ones!! I hope that you are feeling the light of hope, peace, and joy as we continue to journey through this profound Season of Advent. I absolutely know that it may be a huge challenge to feel the hope, the peace, and the joy at this time. Some of you may feel stressed, financially strapped, alone, or unwell in mind, body, and Spirit. This is a time of year where it can feel like the darkness is winning over the light. A time of year where much of creation is hibernating and yet we humans are being called to stay awake and carry on when we just want to rest and sleep. It is an opportune time to find the balance between doing and being. A time to dive deeper into the spiritual practices of mindfulness, quiet reflection, prayer, writing, and meditation. These practices will energize us, so that we can keep our light flickering even as the rain beats down…even when are spirits are dampened.
Today I invite you to ponder and wonder about joy. The image at the top of the page is one of my favourite personal photos of joy. I am giving a hug to my son at my daughter’s wedding. It was at a time in my life when I was living in Saskatchewan and I did not get to see my children very often. There was such a profound sense of joy whenever I got to lay eyes on them… to behold them… to give them a hug of love.
I believe that joy flows from a well spring that is much deeper than the surface of things. For me joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life. It is the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and I have the choice in any given moment to be grateful. Joy is much deeper than happiness.
Happiness is fleeting and temporary. Perhaps life is like train tracks where joy and sorrow run side by side. Every day of your life, wonderful, good things happen that bring pleasure and contentment and beauty to you. At the exact same time, painful things happen to you or those you love that disappoint you, hurt you, and fill you with sorrow. These two tracks — both joy and sorrow — run parallel to each other every single moment of your life.
That’s why, when you’re in the midst of an amazing experience, you have a nagging realization that it’s not perfect. And while you’re experiencing something painful, there’s the glorious realization that there is still beauty and loveliness to be found. They’re inseparable.
Joy is the love that lasts no matter what.
J.D. Salinger, the author of Catcher in the Rye, once wrote, “The fact is always obvious much too late, but the most singular difference between happiness and joy is that happiness is a solid and joy a liquid.”
Today is a day for joy! Don’t let anyone “Phff it out!”
I look forward to lighting the Advent Candle of Joy with you as we gather this Sunday for Wild Seeds of Light. Please read the announcements as there is a pertinent one for this Sunday.
I will leave you with this poem about the blessing of joy. The YouTube links are all about joy for your eyes and ears.
Blessing: Joy
by Joanna Harader
This blessing may come as a song or a silence; As hearty bread or exquisite sorbet; As belly laughter or gentle hug, As enlivening idea or painstaking process. This blessing might rest on you, gently, in the deep, star-filled night, Or push, pull, and play among sunbeams and cold breezes. This blessing might hide, especially when you are most desperate to see it. And then, all of a sudden, there it is. Or isn’t. Or maybe, probably, it is in that other place, the place you didn’t think to look; The place you least expected to find it. This blessing of joy is a shape-shifter And so we miss it sometimes. But trust me, it is around here, somewhere, Always waiting on the edges And nestled deeply in the center Of who God created you to be.
With Delight,
Jacqueline
Offerings of Great Joy:
- Wild Seeds of Light Church this Sunday, December 17th at 11am in the yoga studio at 8140 Cedarwood Road in Halfmoon Bay. Upcoming Church Dates: Sundays December 24 and January 7 and 21
- Special Invitation for this Sunday: Join us for a Winter Gathering at the Yoga Studio. Our lovely host, Lauri, is inviting us to join her and a few of the other people who come to this sacred space throughout the year. We will enjoy a warm bowl of soup with a vegan alternative and refreshments. A time to weave a tapestry of connection and delight!
We will come together in the studio at 2 p.m. Please send Lauri a quick text message, if you plan on attending at 604-989-0701. - Sacred Play every Tuesday morning from 10-noon. We will meet at the same yoga studio on Cedarwood Road.
- Wild Yarns… you are invited to Teresa’s house at 6:45pm this Monday, December 18th. Our new name comes from Teresa. We do all kinds of yarn craft and we share lots of yarns/stories. Love it… thanks, Teresa!