To Miss Joy is to Miss All

  Thomas Aquinas writes, joy is a response to having been “united” with what we love.This may seem oversimplified, and somewhat romantic, almost fantasy in the essence of it. It appears over exuberant in nature.... yet, it rings with truth. This past week as I have been studying the topic of  joy, as it is my new years resolution to keep a blog on the subject. I already have learned so much about my potential to feel it. This is a study that must be experienced, and an action must be taken. This subject can not be acquired by merely reading about it. Joy in every sense of the word is a decision. So I decided to make that decision this past week. I decided to view my week through the eyes of gratitude whatever my week would bring.

     Surprisingly, it was filled with joyful moments. Joy is a response to having been “united” with what we love is what I experienced this week. My daughter was visiting from another state for the holidays. I don't see her often and when I do it is an automatic joy response in my heart. So it was natural to start my joy journey in her presence. Her very essence brings great happiness to my existence.

 I was grateful that it was 79 degrees instead of 15 degrees where my daughter is from. I chose to focus on the company of my daughter and my dear friend who joined us to visit. I chose to laugh at my silly self as I took selfies for this blog. My daughter helped by photographing me in all my awkward glory searching for joy in simple moments.Now pictures that once I would feel embarrassed of, made me laugh a hearty laugh. My perception of myself was so much lighter and not so critical anymore. Who knew joy could help self-esteem?

 Click here to see Joy in action

We decided to go to the beach. It could have been perceived as dreary, as it was windy, and the water all mucky from a recent storm. I could have seen the the glass half empty and complained of the experience. Instead I chose to see the joy in it.

     As I gazed out over the water I could taste joy in the salty horizon. It was so much easier than I thought it could be. You may question me "Well everything seems to be going well, of coarse you can choose to be happy. You are with your daughter, you are at the beach in winter, you have friends near by. You had a lovely holiday, you live in America, Mr.Trump will be President ;) (Hope that last one didn't sting some of you).  You may question, what about those facing trials?"

      I will share a few of my many trials just for perspectives sake. I just want to demonstrate how it can be done, this joy thing, in the midst of storms. I knew all while experiencing this joy at the beach, that I am scheduled for an MRI this coming week, for exploration of a suspicious finding, on my mammogram.( I hate my run on sentences and plan to remedy that as I keep blogging.). The irregular finding on the mammogram only becomes more alarming and frightful, as I experienced the loss of my my mothers sister, my dear Aunt Becky to breast cancer. I was the only one in the room with her as she drew her last breath. She left behind 4 children one whom was only 13 years old.

     I was the one who sitting on the edge of her sick bed, that she admonished to be pro-active if anything suspicious came up in my future. She told me they missed her cancer early on. Statistics are on my side, but I have a high risk profile. It puts a little fright in me. This was only compounded by some financial challenges, my husbands chronic health issues, a neck injury that has changed how I live my life, the death of my father and mother-in-law, and some personal family problems that are heart wrenching, that have been ongoing. I promise I am not whining, I only share so that the reality of dancing in the rain is more relevant in my writing.

     There is a story long echoing from another world in the past, that came to my mind. Remember the  Master who exclaimed these fitting words to the faithful servant: “Enter into the joy of your Master!” (Matthew 25:22)? This is an example how joy is the reward for learning the lessons you came to earth to learn. This is to say, the reward for a life well lived. The most miraculous and suitable gift the Master can bestow is Joy in a world of sorrows.Joy is the elevation of how we see things, not as they may dimly or negatively appear, but with eyes that can see the light of the joy, that each life lesson brings. We are in earth school in a very literal sense. Joy  is the end goal, paid for with a life's end game. Perspective is what I will be delving into as I dive into the subject of the empowering gift of joy in our lives. It is ones perspective that can be altered to welcome joy beyond our understanding and comprehension. One may find perspective is a challenging aspect of our personality that is most difficult to change. Ah, but alas, it can be done, it must be done, to lift the soul to the soaring heights of this supreme existence.

     As I have earnestly set my soul on this goal over the past month, I have felt joy regenerate at an astonishing rate in my life, all while walking through the same life hassles and trials as before. I myself am amazed at the easiness of the way, and that the stubbornness of my past perspective. It was the very key I needed to enable the portals of joy to blossom open for me. The idea that how I perceive an outer event in my world, will determine the amount of joy I welcome, is almost magical to me. In reality is called a blessing. I can perceive a beautiful world when someone gives me a gift, I can question "Was it out of genuine concern and love?" or it can be perceived as a bribe or manipulation. The joy that gift will bring is up to me, and my own perception of it. Will I allow life experience to turn me cynical, depraved, and critical, crushing any hope of  joy? Is that what I want to become? No! For the sake of  heaven my soul rears up, with a resounding call "Give me Joy or give me nothing!".

      I am finally finding my voice on the subject as I fumble through it. I experience this new way of walking through my inner and outer worlds. There is a story behind this journey for me. I will be sharing it in my next post. It may be helpful dear reader, to know the beginnings of my journey into joy, that may better translate  the "why?" for this topic. I find myself evolving and changing as I write. I will grow into the proper voice or style for writing on this topic, so bare with me as I experiment with how to express myself, in a way I can truly be understood. I like the quote "I can explain it to you, but I can not understand it for you. That will be the journey you choose to  take that each man and woman must alone embark on. I know this first attempt is rough, almost a draft of my thoughts. It will all come together soon.It will all start to flow.I can share my journey as a light of hope, a spark of inspiration if I succeed in obtaining that which I have set out for.

    I appreciated one philosophers description on the subject:

      Fleshing out Joy
"The claim that it is possible to rejoice in the midst of suffering will surprise nobody. Some people rejoice while others suffer, even because they suffer, and some people suffer so that others can rejoice (J. S. Bach’s of Jesus’ passion: “Your bitter suffering brings thousands of joys”). Suffering and joy are here divided among different individuals. But can a person who suffers rejoice? Surprisingly, the answer is, yes: we can suffer and rejoice at the same time. Of course, we don’t rejoice because of suffering, either of our own suffering or somebody else’s; such joy would be either masochistic or mean. When we rejoice while suffering it is because of some good that is ours despite the suffering (for instance, God’s character, deeds, and the promise of redemption) or because of a good the suffering will produce (for instance, a child for a mother in childbirth). Put more abstractly, “joy despite” is possible on account of “joy because.” [1]

    I concur that again our perception is what drives joy in or out of our life.The choice my friends is yours and your alone. May 2017 be a joyous reunion with joy itself, may we all be empowered with the ecstasy associated with living a life with one eye shut, allowing the floodgates of the heart fling wide open.To miss the joy is to miss all,” wrote Robert Louis Stevenson in his essay “The Lantern-Bearers” (1887).[2] No matter what we possess or experience and irrespective of how we act, if we miss joy we have missed all.  On a side note, can you say a little prayer for me, my MRI is tomorrow.

                                                       

       
 The Joyful Life Designer

      Life Coach 

          Tiffany King 

               TheEmpoweringGift@gmail.com  

[1] Miroslav Volf

[2] Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Lantern-Bearers,” in The Lantern-Bearers and Other Essays, ed. Jeremy Traglown (New York: First Cooper Square Press, 1999), 234. In “On a Certain Blindness in Human Beings” (in On Some of Life’s Ideals [New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1912],16)