Be open to Joy

Be open to joy, to the possibility of it,

in the harshness and unpredictability of life in these times.

It is here among us, still, as ordinary and miraculous as oxygen, permeating and upholding our lives.

Be open to the possibility of joy.

Perhaps it is waiting, quietly, in the way the evening falls softly into night;

Unexpectedly, in the sharp, sudden scent of sweet rolls hot from the oven, the tang of cinnamon on the tongue at that first taste,

It may be tucked into the varying hues of greens on the horizon,

Or rush upon us at a loved one’s touch,

Or rise within as the music swells around us, or as the words from a novel ring true in the deepest places of who we are.

May we pay attention, may we recognize its invitation, and may we give joy its rightful place of honor in our lives,

For it feeds our souls and sustains our spirits, and can find us

if we are open.