Our first reading for this Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time says, “God did not make death — He fashioned all things that they might have being.” (Wisdom 1:13-14)
Life is a free gift given to us by our Creator God; a gift to be enjoyed. However, many times we allow ourselves to be deprived of the joys of life by dwelling too much on the memory of past experiences or by our fears of an uncertain future.
There is an interesting statement in a book titled, “The Way of the Peaceful Warrior,” written by Dan Millman. In the book, the main character, Dan, is having a conversation with his “teacher.” The teacher says, “You are a prisoner of your own illusion – about yourself and about the world. If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change, free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is a law, and no amount of pretending will alter that reality. Life is not suffering; it’s just that you will suffer it, rather than enjoy it, until you let go of your mind’s attachments and just go for the ride freely, no matter what happens.” (Pages 50 and 51)
So rather than stating my views on the secret of finding constant joy in the life we’ve been given, I thought I would list some quotes that say it better than I can:
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” (Mother Teresa)
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” (Eleanor Roosevelt)
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.” (Benjamin Franklin)
“Life ain’t always beautiful but it’s a beautiful ride.” (Gary Allan)
“Take it all one day at a time and enjoy the journey.” (Kristi Bartlett)
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” (Ferris Bueller)
“Worrying won’t stop bad stuff from happening; it just stops you from enjoying the good.” (Author Unknown)
“Enjoy every single moment: The good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly, the inspiring, the not-so-glamorous moments, and thank God through it all.” (Author Unknown)
“Every time you get upset at something, ask yourself if you were to die tomorrow, was it worth wasting your time being angry?” (Author Unknown)
“You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens.” (Author Unknown)
