J is for Joy

J is for JOY.

When I got married, I gained three brothers. Each brother holds their own special talents and brings so much joy to the family: the sneaky comedian who is always listening, the calm, introverted woodsman with fierce loyalty, and the spiritual guide with the biggest heart and love for God. Love you guys. I often wonder what it was like for my in-laws raising four very energetic boys. One of my brother-in-laws said, “I don’t want to be happy…I want to be filled with joy.” So, how do we find joy?

One of the biggest topics associated with joy is gratitude. When we are able to slow down and be grateful, we often find more little things that we appreciate that bring us joy. Instead of racing through life and anticipating the next thing…we can slow down to appreciate what we already have or who is already in our lives and then set additional goals.

I enjoyed listening to The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams and am currently reading Love Yourself Happy by Shari Alyse.

It is important to help children find their joy. We can facilitate this by teaching gratitude and naming feelings such as happiness and joy. Check out this list of picture books to help children hunt for joy.