Happiness and Joy

Certain books come into our lives when we need them. Last week a work friend who knows little of my recovery life gave me a copy of Sarah Ban Breathnach’s book, “Something More.” I put the book on my home altar/ reading area where I do my morning meditations. A few days later on a whim (God’s whisper?) I read the first few pages.

It was like reading a message from a spirit guide. The exact words at the exactly right time. Yeah, something about “when the student is ready…”. Yep I was.

Here’s a sample:

“Many of us confuse happiness and joy. Happiness is often triggered by external events: the promotion, he loves you back, they approve your mortgage application. Happiness camouflages a lot of fears. But joy is the absence of fear. Joy is your soul’s knowledge that if you don’t get the promotion, keep the relationship or buy the house, it’s because you weren’t meant to and you’re meant to have something better, deeper, richer, more.”

“Joy is the absence of fear”. That’s a phrase worth holding onto. “Happiness camouflages a lot of fears but joy is the absence of fear.”That’s probably my number one prayer: remove my fear. In recovery: remove my self-centered fear.