More than one person has recently indicated to me some concern about this month’s theme. During the month of April we turn our hearts, minds and actions to Living Love Through the Practice of Joy. We are living in a time in our nation’s life where identifying joy may feel difficult if not impossible to us. How in the world, in the face of atrocities, deception and public betrayal, are we to practice joy on any given day?
It reminds me of some study I began doing several years ago with a very old fragmentary document written in Old Irish. I will likely offer some reflections based on it this month, but I will share this part now. That ancient document teaches that to become the fully gifted humans that we are meant to be, there are parts of us that must be activated by joy. It goes on to note that some kinds of joy are human joy and other kinds of joy are divine joy. Both are necessary to bring us fully alive.
Despite these difficult times, this is what I know. I know that this is no time for us to be less alive than we can be. This is no time to shrink, to withdraw, to cower, and to run away. Now is the time, more than ever, for us to be fully alive.
Even though it may feel hard, now is the perfect time for each of us to dig deep within ourselves and ask what joy is to us. What human activities and experiences bring us joy and allow us to convey joy to others? What experiences have you had–and wish to have again–that you would call divine joy? How do you access joy in your life? How do you bring joy into the lives of others?
These are not philosophical questions. They are vital questions. Finding our varied and beautiful answers to them stands to bring us fully alive. Dear friends, I need you–and I think you need me–to be fully alive these days. More than ever. Will you join this search for joy?
~Bob Patrick
