Khedwa (ܚܕܘܐ)
Let your hearts be open to Joy, for Joy is the laughter of the Spirit, the fragrance of life, the song of the soul. Without Joy, labor becomes heavy, knowledge becomes dry, and even love grows weary. But with Joy, burdens are lightened, and every day is touched with blessing.
Do not think Joy is found only in feasts or in riches. I tell you, Joy is as near as the breath you take. It is in the cry of the newborn, in the laughter of children at play, in the hand of a friend resting upon yours, in the rising of the sun after night. It is in the simple loaf shared between neighbors, in the dance of the wind upon the grass, in the stillness of prayer when the heart is at peace. Joy is not far, for the Breath of Truth is joy, and it dwells in all things.
Joy is not the same as ease, nor the absence of sorrow. For even in grief, Joy abides, hidden like a seed beneath the snow. The mother who weeps for her child still remembers the smile that once was, and in the memory she is comforted. The laborer who wipes sweat from his brow still hums a tune, and in the tune his strength is renewed. Sorrow and Joy walk together; sorrow deepens, and Joy rises; one teaches the other, and both belong.
You ask me, “But how can we find Joy when the world is cruel, when the days are long and the nights heavy?” And I say to you: Joy is not stolen by cruelty, nor extinguished by darkness. It is the flame that burns quietly, even when the storm rages. It may be small, but it is never gone. To find Joy, look not at what is lost, but at what remains. Look not at what has ended, but at what is still given.
Joy multiplies when it is shared. A song sung alone is sweet, but sung with others it fills the house. A smile kept within fades, but shared it lights another’s face. If you would have Joy, give Joy; if you would keep Joy, spread it wide. For Joy is like bread - it grows when broken and passed from hand to hand.
Guard against false Joy, the glitter that blinds but does not heal. Many seek it in power, in excess, in fleeting pleasures. These are sweet for a moment, but afterward they are bitter. True Joy leaves peace in its wake, not emptiness. True Joy endures.
There once was a poor man who had only a small garden. He worked it daily, and from it he gathered herbs and fruit. His neighbor was rich, with fields vast and full, yet his face was heavy with sorrow, for he always feared loss. One day the poor man invited him, saying, “Come, taste what my garden gives.” They ate together, and the poor man laughed with his children. The rich man said, “I do not understand - how can you laugh when you have so little?” The poor man answered, “Because I look not at what I lack, but at what I have, and in that I find enough.”
So it is with Joy: it is not in how much you possess, but in how much you give thanks.
