Take Joy, Make Joy

I have a writer friend in Norway who inspires me every day with her unique perspectives on life and God. This morning she wrote in her blog about how Norwegians use the word “joy” as a verb. In her native tongue, “joy” means “to look forward to.” For her, to look forward to a new day fills her with joy. When she writes “Jeg gleder meg til hver ny dag,” it translates literally to “I am joying myself” each new day, but in English, we would say that she is looking forward to every new day

I think Britt-Arnild’s way of expressing anticipation as joy is pretty cool. As I read her meditation today I thought about the things we anticipate in life. For our students, right now, it is the end of the school year. OK, who am I kidding? The teachers are anticipating this joyfully as well =) Truth is, most of us look forward to summertime for many reasons. I enjoy the longer daylight hours, the warmer weather, the brilliant blue skies, the more relaxed rhythms and the (dare I say it) silence of a summer work day. In every sense of the word, I am longing for summer vacation.

And yet, as my friend says, “Every day is a gift from God.” It doesn’t need to be a perfect summer day for us to take joy in the hours we’re given. If we anticipate good things, are they not more likely to come our way? If we wake each morning intentionally looking forward to joy, it seems to me it is bound to be there. If our anticipation is a joyful one at the outset, the tone for the rest of our day is already determined.

So, what joy will you find in the days ahead of you? May you always say “Jeg gleder meg til hver ny dag.”

Photos: Flowers in the gardens at school contribute to the joying of the day. All taken with my new Olympus camera!