Happy Luau

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Sacred Life Sunday: Cherishing My Life With Joy (Revisited)

Portions of this post were previously posted on Sunday, July 20, 2008--over two years ago! I wanted to update it for this Sacred Life Sunday. I still love the two quotes that were featured, and want to add one now that I am a Christian, which is:

 "...The joy of the Lord is my strength."--Nehemiah 8:10

This verse has meant so much to me as I've discovered a whole new--dimension, sort of--to joy. It completes this post from the past. So here is my post:

"I read this marvelous quote in a book I'm reading called "When You're Falling, Dive" by Mark Matousek. It has stayed with me, and I think I'm going to take it as my mantra for depression recovery:
"I don't have to earn my life anymore. It was given to me to cherish as I would a precious gift from someone who loves me and whom I love."---Jim Curtan
This same Jim Curtan also, referring to what he realized at a retreat, said:
"God said my job was joy. But joy is not just about being happy. Joy is a rigorous spiritual practice of saying yes to life on life's terms."
Drop dead profound.

And in the spirit of joy, and to counterbalance the lately more sad posts at the happyluau, here are some joy-filled pictures I've been saving to share with you. They didn't seem to go with any of my previous posts this week, but they will fit with this one!






~The two photos above are from Cute Overload, the happy hamster and the happy dog.




~This photo of the happy nuns is from this blog."

10 comments:

Suzie Ridler said...

"I don't have to earn my life..." wow, those are powerful words. Especially for those of us who live with depression. Thank you for that, that was a real gift to me today.

patti said...

Thanks for the quotes, I love them!
Even simply 'when you're falling, dive..' gives us the power over our lives. Cute little creatures too! :)

Olivia said...

You're welcome, Suzie. I got so much out of every part of this, including looking at those pictures, and I'm so glad to be able to repost it. Thanks for letting me know. xoO

Patti, yes, choosing what you're getting, embracing what you're getting, enhancing what you're getting, absolutely! They are cute--all of them, including the nuns :) xoO

Angie at Home said...

Okay... hamster pictures always make me smile... and nuns enjoying the surf... Love it!!

Kim Mailhot said...

Those Jim Cutrain quotes are so perfect and so relevant to the Now. Thank you for sharing those gifts with us, lovely Olivia! Big Love!

Olivia said...

You're welcome, My Queen, and thank YOU for sharing your Big Love, xooooO

Olivia said...

EB, I'm so glad, me too, those pictures crack me up again and again. xoO

Anonymous said...

I really like that: say yes to life on life's terms.

Angela said...

Wonderful quotes, O. Thanks for the pick-me-up.

Olivia said...

Kelly, and Angela, I'm glad you liked them and thank you both sweet ladies for commenting. xoO