Joy Without Punctuation

Part of my morning routine is to read the daily guide in the Science of Mind magazine. These short readings often amuse and always inspire me to live my day with more peace and joy. This was true for today's reading which was actually very similar in its message to my post yesterday about the natural joy of children.

What struck my eye was the last sentence, which did not end with any punctuation. The last word of that sentence was joy, but there was no period, exclamation point or question mark, just the word joy and then nothing. I'm sure this was an unintended typo, but it made me smile.

As I looked at the word joy and then the nothingness that followed, I imagined the reason for it was because joy is infinite. It doesn't end. The lack of punctuation kept me hanging on the word as if it were a trapeze. I could sit on it, stand on it or swing on this word, and it will not end as long as I trust it is present.

We so often think of wonderful times in our lives as having an end. Our babies grow up. Our flower gardens die. The colored leaves fall from the trees. Our favorite T.V. show ends its run. Our youth ends. Our vacations end. Our good health ends. We come to the end of a wonderful book. Relationships we cherish, end. Baseball season ends. I could go on and on here, but I think you get the picture. It may sometime seem as if our joy disappears as these things that we love in our lives end. A different lens through which you can look at joy is that it is endless, regardless of the time of our life, the season, or any of the circumstances that surround us.

Joy is endless, because it is not dependent on anything outside us to exist. Our life circumstances are constantly changing, yet joy can be constant. The joy that dwells within us is infinite. All we have to do is be still, clear our minds of the messages of the outer world and tap into it. Sometimes it seems we have to dig deep to find a joyful or peaceful space within, but I guarantee, it will always be there.

So, I take this lesson of JOY without punctuation as a reminder, that it never really fades away and certainly never ends. It is always present, I just have to be open to feeling it. Notice what happens for you as I complete this post with this sentence: Look in your heart to find joy