#JOY
THE BEST MAKEUP
As you prepare yourself for life each day…
may you look into the mirror and concede
the joy you see upon your face…
is the only make-up you will ever need.
JOY IS EASY TO CARRY
The moment you realize how easy joy is to carry…
How she’s as light as a touch, a smile…a song…
You also realize wherever you choose to go…
Joy can easily tag along.
JOY
Life is short and oftentimes shaped by circumstances out of our control…
Which means savoring the joy and sweetness of every moment
should be our constant goal.
And though I am still heartbroken at where I think our country…our world is headed
at the things some people are so callously attempting to destroy…
when it comes to my life and the people I love…I’m determined to find joy.
It’s in my morning walk…when I stop to greet the stars.
When I say hello to the moon, to Orion…to Jupiter and Mars.
It’s listening to the owls as I watch the clouds drift across the sky
It’s watching the rabbits stop and nod…a subtle acknowledgment as I walk by.
It’s taking a second walk with Deborah…in the waxing light of day.
Saying hello and stopping to talk to people we meet along the way.
It’s holding hands, a smile, a hug, a gentle kiss…a touch.
It’s so many of the little things I’ve come to love so much.
It’s any moment with my family…any time with them I spend.
It’s receiving popcorn from our son…or warm cookies from a friend.
It’s sitting down with a good book…or a slow walk along the shore…
It’s going to sleep and waking up next to someone I adore.
I am not naive…
I know despite my prayers…hatred, war and evil in this world remain….
and I know finding joy may not heal my broken heart…
But…
it does help to ease the pain.
INITIAL JOY
Like every child I did not choose my name…
I was at my parent’s whim….
They chose ton name me James (from the Bible)
although I’ve always preferred Jim.
For my middle name they chose Otto…
after my Grandpa who died when I was a little boy.
Add Jim and Otto to my last name Yerman
and my initials spell out JOY.
When I was young some friends would call me Joy
and around me mixed feelings would swirl….
At first I was not happy…I thought it made me sound too much like a girl.
Until I learned to smile when I heard them call me Joy
to see it as a compliment just the same…
To find the joy within that moment that is inherent in my name.
And from that lesson taught to me on a playground…
all those years ago…
I’ve learned to look for joy wherever I may go.
Which makes me wonder…
Did my initials guide me on this joyous path
from the time I was a boy
or without them would I have been the person
who so easily discovers joy?
Of course I’ll never know the answer…
If it was me…or the initials of my name…
But on days like today…when I stop to think about it…
I thank Grandpa Otto…just the same.