A return to joy

A couple of weeks ago, my parents brought some old family photos down from their attic. Some of those photos I hadn’t seen in decades, and we spent an entire morning poring over albums of faces and places I hadn’t thought about in such a very long time. 

Near the bottom of the box was a rubber-banded stack of pictures, grainy and sepia-toned, shot with a real film camera in the early 80’s, documenting my first visit to Florida. The first image, taken by my dad, is of my brother, mom, grandparents, and me packing up the station wagon for our all-night road trip. I’m around 8 or 9 years old and visibly excited. That photo, more than any of the others we had sorted through, unlocked a treasure trove of memories so vivid and poignant it made my heart ache with nostalgia.

It all came flooding back to me, sitting up front between my grandparents for that entire 14-hour drive, the three of us singing “When the Saints Go Marching In," and "Shine on Harvest Moon," me talking nonstop, and my grandpa trying to teach me how to harmonize.  I remembered my Grandma’s pink sponge hair curlers, and equally as pink Avon lipsticks.  I remembered how my grandpa smelled like Wintergreen Certs and always wore a tie and short-sleeved dress shirt (even on road trips). 

I remembered arriving at our beachside condo, hearing the waves crash, and smelling the salty ocean air. I remembered spending hours playing in the water and collecting shells and starfish. I remembered walking wide-eyed through the entrance gates of Disney World. In my memory, it still felt so magical. “You loved that vacation,” my mom said. 

What strikes me most about those photos and memories is the purity of my joy. I wasn’t stressed about gas prices, world events, road closures, or the commitments and responsibilities awaiting me when I got back home. I trusted wholeheartedly that my parents and grandparents were in control of the logistics and simply feasted on each new sight, taste, smell, and sound I encountered along the way. 

At what point, I wondered, did that childlike joy become tainted by distraction? At what age did practicality and realism begin tempering my awe with facts and fears about what could go wrong, tomorrow, next week, or five minutes from now? How had “grown-up” worries, ruminations, and always bracing for the worst served me in my adult life? 

I think the answer here is obvious, but sometimes I need to ask it again out loud - to shake myself awake. It wasn’t “necessary” for God to create dazzling sunsets, mindblowing arrays of plants, trees, flowers, insects, vividly colored vegetables and fruits, ocean waves, and snowcapped mountains, not to mention the awesome diversity of humanity itself. His gifts of beauty are EXTRAVAGANT - miracles unfolding in and all around me, I get to choose to see or not see. 

Looking back on those old photos reminded me that at one time in my life, I was quite good at paying attention, living in the present, and unreservedly delighting in God’s creation. What would it take to dust off that child-like simplicity and unselfconscious creativity? How might gratitude, trust, and detaching from earthly cares make room for wonder? 

On May 11th, we will be re-launching our Back to Basics course, a 10-week immersion in slowing down and flourishing in everyday life—transforming meals, routines, and habits into moments of beauty and intention. It is more than a course; it is a movement. It is a light-filled community that will inspire and support your return to attentiveness and JOY!  In preparation for that adventure, and in anticipation of Pascha, of spring, and the new life they offer in abundance, our FWL theme for the next few weeks will be “Rediscovering the Lost Art of Flourishing.” In our blog posts and in a special bonus podcast episode, we will explore the bountiful opportunities right in front of us to elevate our days and to feast on God's blessings! We hope you will take this journey with us! I'm excited to get started! 

This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

- Psalm 118:24

Glory to God for all things!