Storing Joy

 My mother often reminded me that there was nothing new under the sun. She’d say this whenever I’d come in with a new pair of platforms, trying to show her a new dance.

My mommy would trace the origins to something she had already done, seen, heard or had been a part of and I was humbled.

My mom was born in 1918, and she had an incredible memory. She was raised by her grandparents, so for her, time went way, way back.

“There’s nothing new under the sun, but there’s always a new way of seeing it,” she said in her later years.

My mother kept reading and learning until her very last days, so whenever I learn something new, I am reminded of her.

Yesterday, in Sunday school, Rev. Liam was teaching a class about this beautiful season of Advent. He talked about surprises and Mary and his own journey from Ireland to college and then the U.S.

He told us how he left home at 15 and found work in the wine cellar in the U.S. Embassy. Liam shared that one day an ambassador informed him that he would help him go to college.

Those dangburn public tears of joy began to stream down my face as I recalled my benefactor, Terry Evenson, the man who helped me to go to college.

I marveled at the similarity of our paths and then I got my new thing. Liam shared with us the idea of storing your joy. He said that we can celebrate the moment in the now, but store the memory away for the not yet.

Stored joy enables us to be grateful in moments of doubt and disbelief. Stored joy keeps us in the awareness that all things truly do work together.

Liam continued the lesson by asking if we are surprised by pain, calamity and suffering or by joy.

The paradigm of your belief should and must be rooted in joy because what you seek, you will find; seek joy.

My mother was right; there is nothing new, but there is always a new way to see---joy.

Store your joy and be surprised by what it brings.

Be you, be well, be joy.

Bertce Berry, PhD.

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