Don't Hesitate
If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it.
There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be.
We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be
redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of
fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the
riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you
notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case.
Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is not made to
be a crumb. ~Mary Oliver
I was taking a stroll along the Pine Creek Rail Trail one evening hoping to see some birds and I was not disappointed. I could hear birds singing and see them flutter from branch to branch, but spotting the Cedar Waxwings brought me the greatest joy! I could not keep from smiling. I was so excited that I returned to the same place the next evening to see if I could spot them again! Each evening a pair was dancing a little ritual, which I later learned was a courtship ritual. (see video below) The female and male passed a berry back and forth from beak to beak at least a dozen times. The joy I experienced was not just a little crumb. It was a holy moment and worthy of sharing many times. Each time the memory of it made my heart swell with joy.
It's important to remember little moments of joy while at the same time holding grief and sorrow in our hearts. I sometimes sit with a friend with ALS who was a light of hope to many young people in the community and now can do nothing for himself except breath with a machine, eat and sleep. I also companion another friend who has breast cancer that metastasized to her spine. We laugh and cry together. Laughter is healing amidst the reality of loss and the dying process. To understand that we are all suffering--and so to practice tenderness and mercy--is a quality that Ross Gay calls "adult joy."
He says, "Joy has everything to do with the process of dying."
Underneath the ups and downs, laughter and tears, health and suffering, death and new life, there flows a deep current of joy. Joy leads us beyond the difficult places and opens us up to something unexpected and surprising, like enjoying a tree full of Cedar Waxwings or watching the robins bathing in my birdbath. The joyful moments do not take the sorrow away but provide solid ground on which to stand. It is a sign of the presence of the Divine with us. Deep joy is a gift that does not leave us during the sad times. It is present even when our world is falling apart. It proclaims that death is not the final word. Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr's words often encourage me during times of great sorrow.
Joy and sorrow are sisters: they plan to go on living in the same house, knowing how each helps the other. Sorrow softens the two-hurried steps of joy, drawing her beyond herself, toward more empathy for others. And, well, we know how sorrow requires the companionship of joy to balance her heartaches and keep her from being disheartened. It is a delicate dance where both emotions enrich our lives and deepen our understanding of the human experience. ~Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr
“Reflection:
Try practicing joy as a spiritual discipline. See joy as a calling. You could ask yourself, "What delighted me today or what gave me joy today?"
How does God meet you when you are experiencing joy and when you are experiencing sorrow?
What helps you when the sorrow and grief are too difficult to bear?
Video: Cedar Waxwing Courtship Dance - Smile, let it bring you joy!
Prayer:
Cave of refuge, provide a sanctuary of solace
as I wait for the unrecognizable future to reveal itself.
Do not let my troubles steal my joy.” ~Joyce Rupp
Song: Rhapsody of Rest by Sara Thomsen (Inspired by Psalm 92)
The sun is rising in the east
And the feathered flutes begin trilling in the trees
And I sing to love / Sing to give love
Sing to hold love / Sing to be love
In the morning, thank you, thank you
In the evening, thank you, thank you
In the middle of the day, thank you, thank you
In the deep dark night, thank you, thank you
The sun is shining in the south
And I breathe you in, and I breathe you out
And I breathe in love / Breathe out to give love
Breathe in to hold love / Breathe out to be love
In the morning, thank you, thank you
In the evening, thank you, thank you
In the middle of the day, thank you, thank you
In the deep dark night, thank you, thank you
The sun is setting in the west
And the birds begin to sing their rhapsody of rest
And I rest in love / Rest to give love
Rest to hold love / Rest to be love
In the morning, Hallelujah
In the evening, Hallelujah
In the middle of the day, Hallelujah
In the deep dark night, Hallelujah
~2018 Sara Thomsen
Sources:
Gay, Ross (2019). On the insistence of Joy: On Being with Krista Tippett (podcast) Gay is the author of the Book of Delights.
Nouwen, H. (June 5, 2024). Nouwen Meditation: A Current of Joy. Henri Nouwen Society.
Oliver, M. (2017) Don't Hesitate. Devotions. NY: Penguin Press.
Valente, J. (May 4, 2020). Hope trails alongside: remembering Macrina Wiederkehr Global Sisters Report.
Comments