WOW Word-Of-the-Week #77: Joy
May 12, 2009 by Susan Clarke
Joy – to experience or show pleasure or great delight.
- Aunt Cindy & Alexander
So how would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest when it comes to happiness? After you read WOW #74 did you identify what makes you feel content?
The word joy is in the definition of happiness. And there are different kinds of joy and happiness. A lot of people are looking for happiness externally.
For example, I have heard people say, “If I get a bigger house, a fancier car, get married, etc., then I will be happy.” I believe true joy and happiness are internal. They come from within.
A perfect example is the story I read in the newspaper on Sister Antonia Brenner. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Caring Americans. She said, “I never thought twice about giving up my life as a homemaker in Beverly Hills to aid prisoners.”
After visiting La Mesa State Penitentiary 40 years ago, she began volunteering there. Then in 1977, she made the choice to live permanently in one of the prison cells so she could provide prisoners round-the-clock support and protection from abuse. The mother of seven is now known as the “prison angel.”
“Happiness does not depend on where you live,” she says. “I don’t have a lot of pleasures, but I have a lot of joy.”
This week look inside and define what gives you joy and great delight. Steve Straus, the 3-Minute Coach says, “Joy not shared, dies. If you agree, where are you sharing your joy?”
Reader Responses
“Right On! Happiness is a decision we make!” — Don Vance