Today We Light the Candle of Joy

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” John 2:1-19 KJV

A Personal Essay

“The day you were born was the happiest day of my life.”

This is what I say to my eldest every birthday, truncated on birthday cards to just “The day you were born…” He knows the rest by heart.

It was love at first sight, first touch. I held him to my breast and he latched on to suckle, blue eyes fixed on mine, never losing contact for a second. I lost myself in those eyes and to be honest I’m not sure I was ever quite the same after that.

I hadn’t expected to feel this way. I’d been excited about a baby to be sure. A little nervous as the birth date approached. But it’s not like motherhood had been a long held dream for me. It was what people did after a few years of marriage. They started their family. Rick and I had bought a house and were fixing it up. We had good jobs and I was entitled to a full year of maternity leave if I wanted it. My mother nudged us with a little plaque that said “Children are God’s way of saying the world should go on.”

Should we or shouldn’t we? Yes. No. Yes. No. “Let’s give it a shot.” I went off the pill for a couple of weeks, had second thoughts, was preparing to go back on but a precautionary test confirmed that I was pregnant.

He was a December baby. We dressed him up in a little Santa suit and set his basket near the tree where he could watch the lights. On pageant night we took him to church to be admired by all. He slept through the carols and the choir and everyone said he was very good. I said I was sure that Mary thought Jesus was the sweetest baby in the world. But she’d never had the pleasure of meeting Richard.

There was such a fuss at Jesus’ birth. All those shepherds and wise men and angels. A heavenly host! I imagine them singing, though the scriptures say nothing of that. They said he was a saviour sent from God to free his people, to rule on David’s throne. That he would bring great joy to all people and through him the whole world would be blessed.

Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Of course she did. All those expectations placed on the tiny babe in her arms.

I hope they had some quiet time after the shepherds departed. Mary and Joseph and Jesus. Their little family. A time for private joy.

I imagine Mary picking Jesus up, holding him to her breast, looking down into his eyes as he suckled. “The day you were born…”

Reflection Prompts

What is the happiest day of your life so far?

When have you been surprised by joy when you least expected it?

How do you guard your joy from the weight of expectations?

What if you are destined to be a source of great joy to many people?

What private joys do you cherish?

Intentions

I will open to joy when it finds me.

I will nurture joy where I find it.

I will seek to be a source of joy for those around me.

I will guard my joy from the weight of expectations, my own and those of others.

A Blessing

Today I bless you with an abundance of joy. Resourceful and resilient joy. An ever expanding capacity to hold joy. I bless you with an awareness of the joy that others experience, because of your presence in their lives.