Joy

Joy, it may only be a three letter word, but try to explain its meaning in less than three sentences. Yeah, you can use a thesaurus to find another similar word, but it really doesn't really compare or convey the immenseness (is that a word?) of the emotion. Happiness pales in comparison. Joy is a new birth, life over death, realization of love, and even forgiveness.

Joy was present at Sunday's Easter service.

Joy was so palpable that it could have been a person. I could see it in people's faces, their smiles, their relaxed postures. The hymns were a chance for everyone to let a little joy out and spread it to their neighbor. It was almost as if it went outside of our little church and brought in more people. I watched as more and more people trickled in during the service.

Who can say why there was so much joy that day. Lent was finally over. We celebrated the resurrection of Jesus. The music was inspiring. Our families were with us. The children had the chance to play drums.....in church! Every person had their own reasons, and what they were really doesn't matter. It only matters that it was there. Because going to church that day wasn't just something that we felt we had to do, it became something that was a joy to do. We were with our friends, friends who believed as we believed, friends who relaxed and let the service go as it was meant to go, and laughed out loud. We weren't somber and inhibited. WE CELEBRATED!

I want to say that I wish that it were always like that, but then I guess that I wouldn't notice it as much. Only in its absence do we recognize its presence. Not just recognize it , but revel in it.

And so I wish each of you JOY ! May you always recognize it's presence...... and try to achieve it when it's not there.

Karen