Today, as I refill the bird feeder wearing my snow boots and a short sleeve shirt, I remember a November day when my daughter was about 3 years old. She had on boots and a summer top as we were playing outside. The chill of November had all but vanished and (like today) the air was scented with the forgotten smell of spring. As a person who lives in a four season climate, I love every season, and the changes they bring. But I also love when it gets all mixed up like today. We are smashed with two feet of winter snows and then out of nowhere we get to remember the freedom of a warm sun. The black turtleneck gets tucked away and the pink linen shirt comes out to show off a bit.
Earlier today, I sat in worship at my sweet Quaker Meetinghouse. The silence was profound. Not one person spoke today (and I typically love what people say when they feel compelled to speak). There was one birdsong outside of the door, but the silence needed space, and everyone allowed it to breathe. Sometimes in that stillness, I pray for others. Sometimes my mind wanders to questions and wrestlings. And sometimes, I arrive at a clear opening where God wanders around and finally tells me something I need to hear. Today the words were so clear they made me jump. God said, “Say yes.” And then a bit later, God added, “Go with joy.” At first I thought that meant to go forward, hand in hand, with joy. But soon I realized that the second message was directly tied to the first. “Say yes to the path of joy.”
I think saying yes to paths of joy is sometimes like wearing winter boots with summer shirts. My daughter totally got it when she was three, and I remember at that time how I felt reminded that going with what makes you happy is really healthy. Somehow, I had forgotten that. And now today, it comes round again. Mary Oliver says, “Joy is not made to be a crumb.” And yet, so often we override joy with the seriousness of the day and the numbness of trying not to feel too much. (Which most often we are trying not to feel too much grief, but then we overcompensate by also not feeling too much joy and we are left… flat lined.)
I don’t want to be flat. Do you? I don’t want to forget that joy shows up unannounced, without her hair fixed or her lipstick on. She beckons us to let go, to show up, and to follow the tiny threads that make us lighthearted. Joy doesn’t have to make sense. She doesn’t have to be popular. She just wants to delight us, and when we say yes to her… something as wondrous and mysterious as a spring wind blowing across the cold snow, changes us.
Let’s go gather our crumbs and say, “Yes.”
Earlier today, I sat in worship at my sweet Quaker Meetinghouse. The silence was profound. Not one person spoke today (and I typically love what people say when they feel compelled to speak). There was one birdsong outside of the door, but the silence needed space, and everyone allowed it to breathe. Sometimes in that stillness, I pray for others. Sometimes my mind wanders to questions and wrestlings. And sometimes, I arrive at a clear opening where God wanders around and finally tells me something I need to hear. Today the words were so clear they made me jump. God said, “Say yes.” And then a bit later, God added, “Go with joy.” At first I thought that meant to go forward, hand in hand, with joy. But soon I realized that the second message was directly tied to the first. “Say yes to the path of joy.”
I think saying yes to paths of joy is sometimes like wearing winter boots with summer shirts. My daughter totally got it when she was three, and I remember at that time how I felt reminded that going with what makes you happy is really healthy. Somehow, I had forgotten that. And now today, it comes round again. Mary Oliver says, “Joy is not made to be a crumb.” And yet, so often we override joy with the seriousness of the day and the numbness of trying not to feel too much. (Which most often we are trying not to feel too much grief, but then we overcompensate by also not feeling too much joy and we are left… flat lined.)
I don’t want to be flat. Do you? I don’t want to forget that joy shows up unannounced, without her hair fixed or her lipstick on. She beckons us to let go, to show up, and to follow the tiny threads that make us lighthearted. Joy doesn’t have to make sense. She doesn’t have to be popular. She just wants to delight us, and when we say yes to her… something as wondrous and mysterious as a spring wind blowing across the cold snow, changes us.
Let’s go gather our crumbs and say, “Yes.”
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