I’m honored to serve on the board of Omega Institute, one of the “thin places” in our midst, a place that helps to connect both inward and outward, whether you are there in body, in spirit, or in wifi. Elizabeth Lesser, co-founder of Omega, author of Marrow, and TED speaker, shared the poem below at our recent meeting, and it has stuck with me in the days since.
At first reading I thought, oooh, I need to find me some Joyful Ones. But you know what? They are all around us, and within us, too. Now I am wondering more about that first line: “Shield your joyful ones.”
We squash joy so often – others’ and our own – in the name of practicality or cleverness or simply being in a hurry. What if we shield it instead, curling ’round it in shelter, like we do for a flame in the wind?
What if we let joy shine?
* Thomas Lux passed away earlier this year – you can read a bit more about him in this lovely tribute from The Atlantic.
** We are on to the next chapter for Honeybee! You, dear Sunday readers, can get a sneak peak at our lovely new website today. We are just putting the finishing touches on it before its full reveal, but since you are family we thought we’d give you the first look – with thanks for your ongoing friendship. Shine on!