Thursday, November 22, 2018

Where the Joy Resides



For those of us whose lives have been touched by suicide, there are times when gratitude feels near impossible. But, my experience has been that finding gratitude is a significant and necessary part of healing. For those of us dealing with loss, joy may seem a lofty goal. But certainly, healing shouldn't be.

I wish I had a secret formula or stellar advice to give, about how to recover from such profound grief. However, I don't. What I can do is offer up the words above, from the author Anne Lamott. In short, gratitude begets service begets humility, and joy.

Even in the midst of our most grievous days, if we can focus on gratitude, service, and humility, I believe the joy will take care of itself.

I hope for all of us that we can find a way to be of service to one another, today. Doing service does not have to be special or exhausting. Perhaps we can take a moment to let someone else know that we care or that we appreciate them. Maybe we can make an extra effort today to ensure that all of our words are kind ones.

It is in this spirit of service that I wish you all a day filled with peace and love. And for those of you in the United States, I hope that you have a very happy Thanksgiving.