Joy!

Christmas is a season of joy. Joy is an important element to our achieving peace because joy allows us to be other-centered rather than self-centered. Joy is a state of being rather than a feeling; it runs deep. Joy is to happiness what kindness is to niceness. Joy and kindness take commitment. What they do not require is money. One of the most striking elements of my time in Tanzania last summer was when I met some of the most joyful women I've ever encountered, who were working at a seaweed farm.  They celebrated each action they took. They truly lived in the moment. I learned from them that mindfulness can nourish joy. The other greatest catalyst for joy that I have encountered is loving relationships. Pope Francis even named his April 2016 apostolic exhortation The Joy of Love.  Relationships can nourish our spirits, and joy lives in the spirit. Between Christmas and New Years is the perfect time to reflect on the mindfulness and love that we have allowed into our lives and to consider what we need in order to bring joy into the year ahead.

Here's a song to help the reflection.