Ah, There You Are

     I misplaced my joy this morning. I woke up to find it missing like a set of lost keys. I started looking for it everywhere. I looked for it in the morning paper. It wasn’t there. I looked for it in my books. It wasn’t there. I looked for it in some music. It wasn’t there. I looked for it while I ate breakfast, got the kids ready for school, and headed out the door this morning, but I couldn’t find it anywhere.

     When I finally got back home I decided to take a walk. I thought that if I couldn’t find my joy then at least I could get some exercise. The last leaves of Autumn were thickly covering the ground. I walked for awhile on this beautiful, crunchy carpet and breathed in the fresh, cool air. It was so peaceful and wonderful. After walking for a bit I stopped and smiled. I suddenly knew where to look. I glanced down and saw my joy peeking up at me from deep inside my soul. It had been sitting there right next to my love and God’s love just waiting for me to find it. "Ah, there you are," I said. Then I laughed at myself for not knowing where to look all along.

     It is amazing how we so often look for joy in every single place except the only place where it can truly be found, within ourselves. We are like a person running around searching for the glasses that are perched on the top of his head. We need to stop the search. We need to look deep into our souls and see the joy that has been sitting there all along. It isn’t hidden and it isn’t hard to find. It is there shining brightly right next to God’s love and our love. It is just waiting for us to smile down and say, "Ah, there you are."

     Reach down and grab that joy today. Choose it, rejoice in it, and live in it. Take it along with your love and God’s love and share it with the world. And if you ever misplace it again remember where to look for it first.

~ Joseph J. Mazzella ~

[ by: Joseph J. Mazzella (joecool@wirefire.com) -- {used with permission} ]