“For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting,
the child in my womb leaped for joy.”
—Luke 1.44
Is there someone whose voice greeting you makes you instantly feel joy?
Don’t Hesitate
“If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,
don’t hesitate. Give in to it.”
-From “Don’t Hesitate,” by Mary Oliver
This poem is one of my favorite framings of joy. Particularly within my experience of grief, it can be so hard to access and sustain joy — feeling permission to give into it and claim even small moments of joy as they come to me has felt so necessary to my survival.
Claim a small moment of joy today.
Joy to You and Me
“Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, joy to you and me.” -Three Dog Night
Bring joy to someone else today. Share some joy.
Tears of Joy
Sometimes, when we are filled with joy, it overflows from us as tears. Those moments of most profound joy can look to others like moments of sadness.
When have you felt joy so profound that you burst into tears?
Joy and Sorrow
As whole human beings, we experience both joys and sorrows. We bring both our joys and sorrows to our communities to be witnessed and appreciated.
What are the joys and sorrows you are bearing today?