Do you ever wonder why just about every child, without direction from an adult, will draw or paint a sun at the top of their pictures? Just the other day as my six year old son was showing me his picture he said, "Oh wait, I forgot to put the sun in it." It was as if he was saying the picture would not be complete until he symbolically expressed the joy that flowed through him as he created his work of art. My guess is that the sun symbolizes the joy, love, and goodness children feel in their heart.

I've been thinking about Joy ever since I received this picture from my friend Patricia Encinas who was in Ocean City New Jersey and looked down to see the word JOY spelled out by ocean spray on a piece of seaweed. Her friend had a camera and was able to capture it before a 2nd wave came and washed it back out to sea. What a gift. Click here to see a picture of it.

As we all know, Joy is not easy to describe. It's like trying to describe Love, God, and Peace. They are spiritual in nature and so they are beyond words and live in the spiritual realm that is better understood as a feeling in our heart rather than words in our head.

Joy is also more than a feeling. It is spiritual energy that moves through our heart and is radiated to every cell in the body and then outward, shining on every one who comes within our glow. Joy is the energy that moves a child to skip, inspires a Mom to sing in the shower, causes a belly laugh and energizes a musical, theatrical, athletic or business performance. The fact is that you can eat all the healthy organic foods in the world and you can exercise every day and be as fit as a tri-athlete but if you have no Joy your power supply will be very limited and so will your energy. Just as my son's picture was not complete without the sun in it, our lives will not be fulfilled or complete without Joy flowing through it. Where there is Joy, there is God and if there is no Joy in it, God isn't in it either and if God isn't in it then something is missing.

So today I encourage you (please know I am also saying this to myself) to find and create more Joy in your life. Seek out activities that bring you Joy. Take time for silence each day to remove the stress and busyness that blocks your Joy. Engage yourself in the present timeless moment where Joy lives. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing ask, "Where is the Joy," "Do I feel it," and "How can I experience more Joy?" If you are not sure where the Joy is and you don't feel it then think of a time when you felt Joy. Perhaps it was when your child was born or when a sunset took your breath away or when you just felt really spiritually connected. Then sit there and close your eyes and focus on your breathing while you recall how you felt during this time of Joy. But don't just think it. Try to recall and experience this feeling. Then say, "I accept all the Joy and love in my life. I am open to it and I allow it to flow through me." My hope is that this will open you up to the Joy that wants to express itself through you. And just as children include the sun in all their pictures you will decide to weave Joy into the fabric of your life.

Whether you see the words Joy sprayed on a piece of seaweed, spend more joy filled moments with your family or experience more Joy at work, I hope you receive many gifts of Joy this year.

Sending positive energy and JOY your way,
-Jon

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Question:
"The type of stuff you write about is similar to the thousands of other things out there. My comment to all of you is, I understand more sleep, more excersise, play with your kids, be patient, eat healthy... blah, blah, blah. However, I dare one of you speakers to come and live in a normal, middle income, mothers world and tell me that I have time for all of the above. I do pretty good at the giving and patience portion of the list, however the excersise, time to myself and eating healthy are just not a part of a majority of mom's worlds. Mostly because we are to busy to have time for ourselves, or no one else is there to help. And as for eating healthy...that cost alot of money that not everyone has. Now, I agree all of your statements are very true and if everyone could live like that it would be perfect. However, are you able to tell me anything new on how a mother who works 12 hours a day and has two kids, one that is 2 yrs old and another that is 4 yrs old, is suppose to fit all of this into her schedule. I do a breakdown of my schedule daily and still cannot find where I have extra time for any of the above. Thanks. "

Click Here for Jon's Answer

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