Category Archives: joy

To Enjoy Life

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“Man is put on Earth to enjoy life, and he is given the freedom to decide how he is to live; always there is placed before him the possibility of two things: to be or not to be.” – “365 Science of Mind: A Year of Daily Wisdom from Ernest Holmes,” April 29 For as far back as I can remember, I always thought we were here to be happy. That’s why when I starting learning about the Judeo-Christian religion before I was even in my teens, I couldn’t buy into the idea of a punishing, fear-provoking God. Also, I thought it strange that the adults around me didn’t think life was about happiness… or perhaps they hadn’t really given much thought to it at all. But I’ve no question in my mind that we are here to enjoy life and relationships, to be happy, to love. It doesn’t mean we won’t experience sorrow, but of course how we respond to what occurs is what matters. And, we don’t have to go through anything alone. Knowing there is a Force for Good, a Power Greater Than Myself that is All-Loving, simply confirms to me that we are here to enjoy … Continue reading →

God at Eventide

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This Friday evening I thought I’d just select one of my other works of spiritual literature from the living room bookcase—some of which admittingly I’ve never read—and see what the message was for today. Here’s what I got: The Sunlit Way, April 15 “Know that your Source of joy is something changeless. The hopes of the world are but in material things and when these pass or change their joy fades, hope dies, only dark night remains. “Speak comfort to such. Tell of My Love surrounding you, that My protecting Power is yours. That I can never fail one who trusts in Me. That you can breathe in courage from My Presence as you breathe in air. “Tell the world—that for one who walks a cheerless road with Me, the bare hedge doth blossom as the rose, and life is bathed in sunlit joy.” – From “God at Eventide: A Companion Volume to “God Calling” by Two Listeners,” Edited by A. J. Russell The book, “God Calling,” is comprised of messages from a spirit guide to two anonymous female “listeners.” The listeners approached the day sitting in silence, waiting for a call from the spiritual realm. Wishing to remain anonymous, … Continue reading →

Pass It On

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“When we get interested in spirituality, few of us have any intention of getting carried away with it. We don’t consider ourselves holy. We want simply to make use of the power we have learned is available to us for the asking. But once embarked on this spiritual journey, we find that something is required of us. The love, the peace, and the joy that come to us —we have to pass on.” – “In God’s Care*: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery,” March 19 *As We Understand God The above passage has been true for me. I got into recovery seeking help with my eating disorder. That help came through in the form of the Twelve Steps, which included finding a Power greater than myself and being involved in the fellowship. Hence, I embarked—more like was thrust (happily)—onto my conscious spiritual journey. At that time, I had barely even heard the word ‘spirituality’ and surely did not see myself as holy nor expected my life to change in all areas except hopefully in the food department. Yet, with God as my focal point, a guide in to how to live (Twelve Steps), and supportive folks, my psyche, and therefore … Continue reading →

Getting Back to Joy

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Ever feeling down in the dumps for no reason? I know there are plenty of reasons these days to not feel quite like oneself or joyful… plenty of external circumstances, that is. I know joy comes from within, where loving Spirit resides. Still, sometimes I really need to pull myself out of a funk. I can do that by listening and singing to music, reading, or getting outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine, to name a few ways. An additional way I can shift my energy and help me access my joy is to look at the final project I created for my recent “A Consciousness of Joy” class. It’s sort of like a vision board; it contains images and words that make me smile, sometimes make me laugh, helping me back on the road to joy. Looking at it also reminds me of the fun I had making it, being creative, and playful, which doesn’t happen often enough. Another tool in my arsenal for getting back to joy is reading and affirming powerful statements of Truth like the following: “Declare further, “Everything necessary to the full and complete expression of the most boundless experience of joy is mine … Continue reading →

Be Your Greatest Me!

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“While we have the gift of life, it seems to me the only tragedy is to allow part of us to die—whether it is our spirit, our creativity, or our glorious uniqueness.” – Gilda Radner This quote hit home this morning after the events of yesterday’s work day and my ruminations about it. I’ve always admired folks whose means of earning money tapped into their creativity, their spirituality, their passion. I’ve enjoyed that from time-to-time, usually while in my own small business, but was never really able to sustain a decent level of income in order to be financially stable and comfortable. Several years ago, I made the decision to go back into the corporate world mainly so I could collect a steady paycheck. Still, if I’m spending 40 hours a week on a job, I want to enjoy it, be creative, learn, and make a difference in lives. What better use of time could there be?! I know many folks are happy satisfied enough with simply collecting a paycheck, but I’m not one of them. Since making that decision, I’ve been working contract jobs as a technical writing and business support consultant. I’ve managed to earn some good money, … Continue reading →

Joy is in This Place

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I am sitting in my hotel room in the East Valley of Phoenix, close by to where I used to hang my hat, assessing the full day that is now winding down. And, I am thrilled and grateful to be able to say it has been a totally joyous day! I haven’t said that very often in the past two years of living on this planet dealing with a pandemic. As I’ve learned, my joy comes down to relationships, to people, to connection. Spirit. The impetus for coming to the big city for the first time in five months was to join in the celebration of the retirement of the two Unity of Mesa ministers. That Center continues exercising caution to help keep folks safe and healthy during these times, so I felt comfortable attending in person—and I’m so glad I did! When I met my friend Shannon later this afternoon, she asked how my day had been. “Perfect, absolutely perfect. Every single thing went according to plan.” Joyce’s plan, of course. When I left Prescott this morning, I was treated to the unfolding of the sunrise as I drove serenely with no traffic through the hills and mountains, listening … Continue reading →

Places of Joy

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I may not be feeling joy within me very often during this particular period in my life, but I sure have it in my awareness. How could I not with objects and readings all around me? I have a set of coffee mugs I purchased at Christmas time one year with calligraphy written on them. “Peace on earth, good will toward men” is one, “Joy to the world,” the other. I drink from them year-round. Each morning I check in as to whether I am feeling the energy of joy or peace, and decide on which one I want to have by my side during my morning sabbath. A dear friend gifted me a pillow several years back, and it has its own place on the chair in my bedroom. I can’t miss it whether laying in bed, or exiting the door. And once again this week, a reading was about joy. Today’s Science of Mind Magazine is entitled “The Soul’s Joy, a Pathway to Love.” Its author, Rev. Christine Green, shares about her places of joy. Walking in the forest, and observing the sunlight coming through the trees… walking on the beach, feeling the sand on her feet, the … Continue reading →

Registering Joy

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This past week’s homework for “A Consciousness of Joy” class has been ‘interesting.’ The assignment was to notice each day during the week when I felt joy and write it down. It was a helpful exercise because it naturally had me more on the lookout for joy when I otherwise might have not noticed and passed it by as I know I can do. This, in itself, was a positive step towards increasing the joy in my life. This week my spiritual readings and other material often included the word joy. Like today’s quote in 365 Science of Mind: A Year of Daily Wisdom from Ernest Holmes: “I walk in the joy of increasing Good.” I had to smile. Alas, I cannot say that I actually felt joy this week—maybe if there had been horses on the farm where I volunteered on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I would have felt joy (they’re still being boarded elsewhere for the winter)! I’m not surprised at the outcome of this week’s homework, as I know that joy has been fairly scant in my life for some time now. That’s one reason I wanted to take the class, to learn about how to … Continue reading →

A Touch

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“Too often, we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” – Leo Buscaglia What popped out to me when I read this quote, was the mention of the power of touch. Since March 2020, when the pandemic was officially declared and the interaction of people became forever changed, I have experienced a huge void in the area of personal touch, mainly hugs, but also the touch I received while joyously contra dancing. Living alone has always been a challenge to getting a sufficient amount of touch for good health—except when I attended 12 Step meetings and my need to give and receive hugs was always easily satisfied. Now during these unique times, I have had to make an even more concerted effort to at least be in some sort of contact socially with people. That has been mainly through online classes and meetings, texts, and emails. But of course, none of those are physical in nature. Thank heaven for my Teddy (bear)! At my spiritual center, hugs are the norm even during these … Continue reading →

A Consciousness of Joy

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This morning I attended the first of four classes offered by CSL-Prescott entitled “A Consciousness of Joy.” It has never been lost on me, and I have always appreciated, being given the first name Joyce. However, I cannot honestly say that I feel joy on a regular basis. Hence, my hope in participating in this class is to come away with tools for accessing my joy more readily and easily. Happiness is related to the outer world and dependent on circumstances; it is fleeting. Joy is an inside job. It is related to Spirit, is of Spirit. I feel complete when I am experiencing joy. I also know that when I feel joyful, I feel deep gratitude. Joy occurs in the present moment, where Spirit is.

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