“She was darkness and he was darkness and there had never been anything before this time, only darkness and his lips upon her. She tried to speak and his mouth was over hers again. Suddenly she had a wild thrill such as she had never known; joy, fear, madness, excitement, surrender to arms that were too strong, lips too bruising, fate that moved too fast.”
“If we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day. Nothing stimulates our appetite for the simple joys of life more than the starvation caused by sadness or desperation. In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse.”
“If you can channel the best part of you that is bigger than yourself, where it’s not about your ego and not about getting ahead, then you can have fun and you aren’t jealous of others. You see other people's talent as another branch of your own. You can keep it rooted in joy. Life is long and there are plenty of opportunities to make mistakes. The point of it all is to learn.”
So caught up are we in our daily chores, our worries, anxieties, tensions and problems that we hardly notice the magnificence and splendor around us. Make a very conscious effort to see something beautiful around you; just gazing at small beauties fills us with peace. Unless we do that we’ll continue to be caught in this web of anxiety. There is so much joy to be seen in the antics of children as they go about playing unmindful of the people around them. An excited dog on a leash dragging its owner, the crazy jump of a monkey from one tree to another, squirrels playing hooky pokey trying to dodge the prying eyes of human beings are all out there for you to enjoy. Just put the pause button on your routine, take time off to stand and notice; you’ll be filled with so much joy and peace. So start taking delight in little things and appreciate small blessings.
When service is unto people, the bones can grow weary, the frustration deep. Because, agrees Dorothy Sayers, "whenever man is made the center of things, he becomes the storm-center of trouble. The moment you think of serving people, you begin to have a notion that other people owe you something for your pains...You will begin to bargain for reward, to angle for applause... When the eyes of the heart focus on God, and the hands on always washing the feet of Jesus alone - the bones, they sing joy and the work returns to it's purest state: eucharisteo. The work becomes worship, a liturgy of thankfulness. "The work we do is only our love for Jesus in action" writes Mother Theresa. "If we pray the work...if we do it to Jesus, if we do it for Jesus, if we do it with Jesus... that's what makes us content." Deep joy is always in the touching of Christ - in whatever skin He comes to us in. Page 194
“WSAZ and I could not come together on a compensation for doing the Home and Garden Show so I will not be there this year and that is strictly a business decision. The only thing I regret is not being able to interact with the thousands of my viewers as I have in the past. That is the sad part. I am a people person and that is one of the things that I get a lot of joy out of, getting to talk to people. I am certainly going to miss that.”
“I dream of a future in which stem cell therapies are used to treat such diseases as diabetes, Parkinson's disease, or heart attack. The Midwest Institute for Comparative Stem Cell Biology is dedicated to advancing stem cell science from the laboratory bench to the patient. The formation of the stem cell institute is the result of a year of hard work. It is a joy to celebrate this first milestone. There are many more stepping stones yet to cross to realize this dream,”
“Childhood should be a carefree time filled with wonder and joy, but the reality for many kids is often a very different story. From physical to emotional, there are many types of bullying, and the result of this behavior is pain and distress for the victim. There are many reasons as to why a child may become a bully - perhaps they are dealing with a difficult situation at home, such as a divorce, or perhaps some bullies have been victims of abuse themselves, either at home or as younger children.”
“I sold my first painting on eBay for $4.75, ... On eBay, you don't have to have a lot of money to own original artwork. There are bidders who will get onto the site and bid on every single painting I put up. And sometimes the result is the joy of the lower-end buyer, folks who are thrilled when no one outbids them. They tell me they can't believe they've got a painting they wanted.”
“What was once impossible now summons us to dismantle the walls between ourselves and our sisters and brothers, to dissolve the distinctions between flesh and spirit, to transcend the present limits of time and matter, to find, at last, not wealth or power but the ecstasy (so long forgotten) of commonplace, unconditional being. For the atom's soul is nothing but energy. Spirit blazes in the dullest of clay. The life of every woman or man-the heart of it-is pure and holy joy.”