When you finally realize that joy
is less fireworks
more firefly
less orchestra
more birdsong
she will come back much more often
for joy will not fight
with the fast pace of this life
she is not in the shiny or the new
she breathes in the basic
simmers in the simple
and dances in the daily to-and-fro
joy has been beckoning you
for many a year my friend
you were just too busy doing, to see
the very next time joy wraps
her quiet warmth around you
as the garden embraces your weary body
in its wildness
tip her a nod
you cannot force her to stay
but if you are a gracious host
joy comes back.
– “Joy Comes Back” by Donna Ashworth
This poem grabbed me by the shoulders this morning. It refused to let me scroll by. It preached to me. It shed light. May it be the same for you.
Here are the questions that came up for me. I invite you to sit with them awhile.
-
What is the difference between a firework and a firefly?
-
How have I bought into the lie that joy is in the shiny and the new?
-
How can I simplify my life, slow it down so it no longer fights with joy?
-
When was the last time I felt true joy, and what was my reaction?
-
How can I be a gracious host to joy?
This poem is an invitation to slow down, to appreciate, to welcome joy with open arms and let her go as freely – and to trust that, even in the darkest seasons, joy comes back.
