DOES GRATITUDE ALWAYS LEAD TO JOY?

"The sixth gift is Joy. May it keep your heart open and filled with light." - from The Twelve Gifts of BirthI find that sincere gratitude always opens my heart to the joy that is naturally there. The blossom of joy that follows gratitude may or may not bloom into happiness. Happiness, of course, follows more readily when our hearts are not covered with a protective layer due to deep hurt, sadness, fear, grief or worry. In such times, we may feel as if we will never feel happy again.But even at the dark and heavy times in my life, when I allowed authentic gratefulness for something--anything--to bubble up from my heart, some joy seeped through with it and gave me a small yet pleasant uplift.

Sometimes joy is like the Rose Bowl Parade of floral floats and marching bands. Other times joy is like a gentle, fragrant breeze on a summer night, barely there, so subtle one might not even notice it. Ahh. But when we do, that little petal of joy is soothing and sweet.

I am recalling times when I was seriously ill or heartbroken. I found that if I sat still, slowed and deepened my breath, and stayed in the present moment, some appreciation always emerged. It might have been for the color of my bedroom walls, or that my digestive system had worked easily, or that my back felt comfortably supported by the pillows behind me. Or, I noticed beauty in something in the room or in nature, outside the window. Or... the possibilities are endless.

I am offering this because I know that among us, always, there are people we know or friends we haven't yet met who are experiencing one of those dark and heavy times. In particular, a comment to a post on one of my Facebook pages prompted this writing at this time. I think we've all known  times when inspirational messages and encouraging suggestions might seem like well-meaning but empty platitudes.

I suspect we've also experienced at least one time when the energy of someone's robust joy felt painful upon our fragile state of being. Bright light joy upon a hurting heart can be like driving into the late afternoon sun in Arizona. It's so blinding that you have to shut your eyes, look away, or turn to another direction. Have you ever felt like that?

At fragile times, I believe that loving acceptance, along with compassionate kindness and reverent listening to understand, is the most wise and caring thing we can offer to one another. 

Although, I admit that sometimes I have offered advice instead of giving the gift of simply being there. But we live and we learn, yes?

What's your experience? Both on the giving and the receiving side? And with joy itself?

With love,

Charlene