Joy Based Living

Part I: She rested.

Reverend SASSY SHORTS (that’s me) made a very unusual choice last week. She skipped the writing of her Easter Sunday Sermon. She didn’t send it to you because she didn’t write it. She really wanted to. So why didn’t she?

Her favorite fictitious storyline: She resurrected! And then came back to life. On Easter Sunday 2020! 🙂

Hey, this Rev. was ordained by a free online website, so what do you expect?

Actually, the (o so boring) truth is that Reverend SASSY SHORTS had a very full week. She’d given a lot. She’d worked hard. She’d processed a few megatons of emotions – the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful – and she was DONE.

She’s a Jewish Reverend, so technically she should have rested on Saturday. Because that’s when Almighty God rested according to the Good Book.

Maybe then she wouldn’t have been so tired on Easter Sunday. But, as you can tell – she’s kind of a rebel. So, on Easter Sunday, which is supposedly THE most popular day for preachers to do their THING, Reverend SASSY SHORTS rested. And it felt SO good.

Part II: Appreciation

The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.

Saint Exupery

Stopping to sniff a rose bush on the side of the road.

Slowing down to have a long and meaningful conversation with an old friend.

Picking up a project that’s been nudging you for a few years.

Reading a book that’s been wanting to be read by you. Or writing one.

Taking a slower, more meaningful pace in your business. Yes, with your customers.

Choosing to believe rather than doubt.

Praying with a richness of gratitude.

Taking the time to change your mind about something you’ve believed.

Upgrading, upleveling your relationships, beginning with the one with you.

These are the invisible gifts that our self-quarantine time is offering.

Part III: Appreciation plus devotion = JOY

One of the things I love most is seeing someone really revel in their appreciation and devotion to something or someone. A baby. An ideal. A genre of music. Beauty itself. The pure joy is radiant and extraordinary. It’s almost palpable.

Laura Catherine Moon is the owner of Wildflower Cafe and when I first moved to Mentone, Alabama, she and I became fast friends. She was one of the first people to celebrate my burgeoning art by encouraging me to hang my best pieces on the walls of her cafe. One of her greatest strengths is her faith and belief, in people and in possibilities and in dreams coming true.

Well, I had the grand joy of spending some time with Moonbeam yesterday right after she purchased a piece of property that she loves. In Mentone, Alabama, which she loves. Celebrating the unusual plants that grow around here. She loves every single growing shrub and tree, but she especially lights up when she talks about the medicinal and herbal plants. I watched her determination to protect the small lady slippers (flowers) by surrounding them with large branches so that they wouldn’t get trampled by the movers.

I was so moved by Moon’s excitement. A small piece of broken tile on the ground called to me to paint it for her to honor this special moment, this auspicious day. After painting it, I placed it on the grounds. Later, when I went back to take a photo of it in the afternoon sun, I bumped into her and Lyle and showed her the painting. Her response: IF I WAS A DOG I WOULD HUMP YOUR LEG RIGHT NOW!

Well, then… I really don’t have the words. No one has ever said those words to me before. LOL!!! What a gorgeous, hysterical, unforgettable moment.

Due to social distancing, I didn’t hand the commemorative gift to her. Instead, we picked a spot on the ground for all to see when they visit.

My greatest devotion is JOY. Pure JOY. I appreciate it with all my heart and can’t seem to stop myself from moving to the beat of its drum. I love dancing with it, shaping it, generating it, receiving it and sharing it.

Thank you for being with me on this journey. My joy wouldn’t be the same without YOU.

Love and blessings and so much JOY to you and yours,

Reverend SASSY SHORTS!

Debbie Happy Cohen, author and coach, is also the founder of Joy-Based Living. Her Master’s Degree is in counseling, specializing in family systems, healing emotional trauma, and practical spirituality. Also affectionately known as Happy D! and Reverend SASSY SHORTS!, she lives on Lookout Mountain in Alabama, near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her books include Reach Your Stars!, SANCTUARY,It’s All About Kids: Every Child Deserves a Teacher of the Year, and I Don’t Think So!  You can find her blogging at http://www.joybasedliving.com.