  Spiritual
This week: Reach for Joy Edited by: KimChi  
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"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing."
~ George Bernard Shaw
Hello, I'm Kimchi, your hostess this week. When you think of joy, what comes to mind? What brings you joy, and how can you have more of it in your life? Read on for a few suggestions.
We welcome your comments on the Spiritual Newsletter, as well as your static items.
The Spiritual Newsletter team
KimChi
Sophurky 
kittiara
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Reach for Joy
What is joy? Is it a brief slice of time, like the joy of witnessing a child's latest accomplishment? Or is joy a state of mind we can strive to attain, much like peace?
Where does joy come from? Obviously we experience the emotion individually, but many times it shows up when we're with loved ones, especially children, who seem to radiate joy at merely being alive. Maybe joy is the natural state of being blooming all around us, and we bury it beneath obligation as we grow up and tune into responsibility and worry.
I discussed the issue with several friends, and we all viewed joy in different ways, but we agreed that we are more likely to experience joy in the company of others. It is the interaction that brings joy whether we are communicating with another human, nature, or even ourselves. Just as I experience joy watching my child grow, I can also feel joy viewing a sunset or driving alone at night with the windows down.
Here are some of the ways my friends and family find joy:
"Belly laughing with a friend."
"When my granddaughter holds my hand."
"When I accomplish a goal or learn something new."
So how do we find joy, or does joy find us?
The obvious answer is to emulate a child in all ways. Children gush with pride over every new trick. They ooh and aah over each petal on a flower. They run full tilt into the wind with no cares or concerns except to experience the feeling of rushing air on their face.
That's joy.
Children are loud and selfish and eager to learn new things. They're not scared of much and they don't care what anyone thinks. They haven't learned to fear the unknown or to change their ways for the sake of culture and decorum. They're wild, and free, and joyous.
A few ideas on how to find joy:
~Be selfish and guiltless. Not the type of selfishness that hurts others, but taking time out for yourself. The dishes can wait.
~Be fearless, uninhibited, and willing to try something you've never experienced. A hobby, class, or learning a new skill can bring the joy of mastery.
~Be playful, and open and receptive to joy when it shows up. Joy is all around us if we learn to recognize the simple pleasures of life and appreciate them.
I doubt humans can maintain a constant state of joy, as obstacles confront each of us. But we can hold ourselves ready to seize joy when it appears. And when the moment has passed, we can still re-joice in our memories.
May you find joy in the laughter of a child and the smile of a friend.
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blainecindy claims:
Yes, I have memories of my youth when we played outside and read books together. Dreams of a computer, much less the internet, were just that -- dreams. We must all learn to slow down AND count our blessings. Most of the time we fail to appreciate what we have. Great newsletter!
GRAMPA ED shares his childhood:
Kimchi,
This brought back some memories. It would be so hot upstairs we would sleep on the floor downstairs with a fan blowing over a block of ice in a tub. Or we slept out on the porch. We had no car so we walked and we would walk out into the country to go camping--(ALL GUYS) and we dug trenches in the dirt with a pocket knife and lined our toy solders up in the trenches and played war. Mosquitoes did not bother us unless they were by the thousands. When it rained the streets would flood so we would go swimming in the street, until somebody came along and unplugged the drains. Now I do not go out do to the heat as breathing is a must for me,(and others). I must say this article hit home for me. Thanks
Grandpa Ed
THANKFUL SONALI Library Class!  sends a link:
Hi! Here's a great forum by Tornado Dodger 
"A Time to Give Thanks"
shepherd46 states:
Wonderful article on how "blest" we all are! Loved it.
The rhapsodic dreamer talks about a blackout:
Ditto experience. Though I would be a 15 yr old.
We also spent the black hours in our backyard with a candle and moonlight with a slow breeze but I think God knew that I needed only half an hour to know that I am lucky for after that light came. It was a relief.
Zeke  maintains:
Not all the modern information is necessarily a blessing. Much of it is colored by the writer's own beliefs.
Zeke
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  sends a link with comment:
|Always a need to write.
shepherd46 says:
Very good artice! I especially like what you suggested:
1) A moderate amount of spiritual discipline is essential to further learning and understanding.
2) You can train your mind to do pretty much anything.
3) Our lives have meaning and we are important to God.
4) Daily study and/or prayer or meditation re-aligns our physical body with our spiritual purpose."
njames51 replies:
Good newsletter. In silence, the heart can hear. For me, silence is at the top of my list. Silence enables me to "hear" God. Silence allows me to stop and helps my body heal. Silence allows me to hear my breathing. I also walk 2-3 times per day. During this time of silence I am able to pray, to meditate, and to focus on small aspects of nature - to watch a bird fly in front of me; to notice the pattern of clouds; to watch the progress of the moon rising. All are small observations which calm my worries and restore my energy.
Light states:
Good newsletter about "The Power of Positive Thinking." There are many authors who have a wealth of knowledge about what they write about. And, there are some others, too. But, that does not seem to stop the less knowledgeable from publishing books and films and making loads of money. How we create our futures seems to be one of the subjects where many writers do not seem to have a sound understanding of what they are writing about. I have found that Neal Donald Walsch is one of the New Age authors that has a sound understanding of what he is writing about.
According to Mr. Walsch, we don't affect our lives just by our thoughts. We also do this by our words and deeds. What we say and do not only affects others, but our own thoughts. It's a cyclic process. We need to change the whole cycle to have a real affect on our futures. The easiest way to make such changes, is to act like the future we wish to experience exists now. When we put feeling into that, we attract our futures.
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling sends a link with his comment:
Sometimes you have to think.
kristiana claims:
I always love your newsletters. Good information abounds.
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Spiritual: August 10, 2011 Issue [#4548]
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