The Return of Joy

As I sat for a moment on my back deck, I gazed at the empty hummingbird feeder. I recalled my fascination with the tiny creatures a year ago, and how abundant they seemed to be. This year, not so much.

Back then, they were an embodiment of joy. Their dance, their laughing song. This year, they were noticeably absent.

True, I had been less consistent with filling their feeder, but the natural attractants were no less plentiful. The bee balm and the rose of sharon bloomed as fully as a year ago.

I wondered if the lack of the presence of hummingbird joy paralleled my life. I considered that for a moment, but it didn't ring true for me. There was much joy this summer - packed into the hustle and bustle. I sat there quietly lost in thought for a while.

I caught the flash out of the corner of my eye, and followed the blur until it lighted on the closeline. YES! They ARE here!

I wondered when the last time I sat and actively looked for them. I couldn't recall. I remember taking a few minutes in the morning light last summer. They'd chase each other and welcome the day. I'd see them again as I sat for an afternoon moment of peace. But this year...? When had I sat expectantly longing for them to reveal themselves to me? I hadn't.

Perhaps joy itself is similar. If I'm caught up in the bustle of life, will it elude me? And, just because I don't see it right in front of my eyes, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Joy is in our perspective, in what we see, what we search for.

Do I sit quietly and expectantly, or do I move along wondering where it has gone? Are my days grounded in gratitude? Do I take time to search for the joy that I know is abundant in the world?

Seek and you shall find, He says...

Help me seek joy!