I was reading a story about two moms and their children
hiking through an old garden. As they climbed through the overgrown paths in
the early morning mist, they tried to keep their eager children close. A
child’s voice yelled as they came towards the end of the path, "Look! There's a stream. And look at that tree!” As the children rushed ahead to get a closer
look, the early morning sunlight was breaking through the thick branches of the
tree, making it appear even more grand. Its deeply etched roots and thick
storied bark let them all know that this was not an ordinary tree. This tree had lived
through many seasons of life yet still stood strong. With pure joy, some of the children rested
under its majestic limbs while others started climbing to seek new horizons. It was indeed a 'treasure tree.'
We often forget during our busy days to look up and see the
simple pleasures and joyous discoveries around us. On a recent late afternoon walk, I ran into
my friend Paul. We had not seen each other
in a while so we began to share about our lives and our families. During our conversation, I told Paul that I
was working on a piece about the simplicity of joy, and about finding joy
in all things. “How easy it is for us to forget or get lost in all the noise and
distractions around us!” said Paul. “We should
just stop for a moment and observe the many joyous gifts around us. I mean,
just look at this sunset!” We paused and took in the unique colors of the sunset, its wispy blues and rusty yellows, and contemplated the fact that
each night is a different painting made expressly for our joy.
So often we take these gifts for granted. Slow down and
allow the childlike discoveries of our surroundings to fill our hearts with
joy. The more we allow joy to be part of our daily lives, the more joy is contagious.
Pass on the gift of joy to others!
