Karma of Sorts ...

Today is Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year.  My dad, the public school teacher that he is, had the day off from school.  Knowing that a Christian seminary probably wouldn't close for a Jewish holiday (which I have issues with but that's a conversation for another day) he called me to gloat this morning.

Later that afternoon ... 

It was sunny and in the 80s and after Christian Thought Steven and I decided to go for a swim.

My parents had to close their pool last week.  My dad sent me an e-mail about the depressing state of their backyard with a closed pool.

Maybe I should have just let it go, but I couldn't.

I called to gloat that I went swimming.

Some days you just have to bask in the little things in life that put a smile on your face.  For my dad it was a day off.  For me it was a walk home and then a swim with a good friend (and neighbor!!).  For the country it was watching the Dow Jones creep back up after tumbling over 700 points yesterday.  For the state of Georgia it was the possibility that the gas crisis will soon come to an end.

But what happens for the people who couldn't find something to put a smile on their face today?  What about those who were affected but the stampede in India that killed over a hundred people?  How can I ask them to find something to smile about?

Finding small joys in times of crisis and sorrow isn't always easy.  And while I don't have any phenomenal insights into how you can tap into that hidden source of joy, I will say two things:

1:  When you find the joy, embrace the joy and rejoice in the joy.

2:  When you find the joy, spread the joy - reach out to someone in need.

With a little bit of joy,

Sarah