Joy!  What a great word!  Just writing the word brings a smile to my face.  As I get “back in the saddle” this morning, after a week long vacation, my heart feels joyful, and I am mulling over two recent quotes I came across about joy: 

Reading these words has a profound effect on me –something deep within stirs as I let these words seep into my soul.  I may not always “get” where God is present in my life.  It is sometimes hard to name the experiences of God at work in my life, but I can easily name the joyful experiences in my life–those moments where my heart is full and happy.  Thinking of my past week, I am reminded of several moments of joy:

-Having “Laughing Parties” with Brady
-Watching Abby’s face light up when I walk in the room
-Driving with Chris in the car and chatting about life on the way to Memphis
-Soaking in the sunshine and outdoors with my brother and sister-in-law for three days
-Playing with 9 beautiful red-headed four week old puppies
-Participating in a meeting about something I am really passionate about
 -Helping create a vision for a ministry I really believe in
-Getting unexpected emails from people that are answered prayers

All of these experiences “echo God’s life within me”.  They are the moments I need to wake up and pay attention to.  These are moments when God is speaking to me–using my emotions and feelings in a given moment to relay a message of God’s love and hope.  

What are your moments of joy?  Acknowledge that these moments are a sign of God’s presence in your life. 
When do you feel the echo of God’s life within you? 

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.