Joy: "Joy Joy Joy Joy Down in my Heart..."

Daphne Reiley 

"I have said these things to you so that my joy will be in you and your joy will be complete."
John 15:11 CEB

I remember this song from Vacation Bible School when I was about 6 years old.  It meant something different to me then – it simply meant happiness.  Now, at 53 finding myself a wife and a mother of two teens, I experience joy in different ways.  Joy in Christ.  Joy in the Lord.  Yes, these can be very happy feelings; however, I experience this sort of joy more deeply, more seriously, more serenely.  This joy is calming, reassuring.  I crave THIS joy! 

This joy is the joy I feel when I see and hear my daughter laughing and speaking with confidence and lightness of heart; this joy is the joy I feel when I see and hear my son speaking of his future with confidence and hope.  This joy is the joy that I have prayed for unceasingly as I have mothered my children through crises this last year.

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Joyful Lord, hear my prayer.  Lift up my whole heart to see and feel the Joy of your Heart, of your hope for my family.  Your love is steadfast and your mercy endures forever.  Amen.

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Daphne is a modern mystic who finds herself in the midst of caregivers who are seeking emotional and spiritual support.  Daphne enjoys facilitating support groups, threshold gatherings, and prayer circles.  She is also available as an anam chara, or spiritual friend, to caregivers.  In 2013, Daphne co-authored A Tapestry of Love, the Spirituality of Caregiving with Joseph V. LaGuardia.  Tapestry provides caregivers with inspiration and hope.  Support is offered through the explanation and introduction of a number of spiritual practices. The book is available through www.atapestryoflove.com and through Amazon

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