Joy, Even as Summer Slips Away

Lately the news reports of American life have been getting a bit neurotic as outlets cover the election campaign, now in full throttle. But it strikes me as comforting that one candidate is earning attention as the “joy-filled candidate.” Imagine! A real person being described as a witness to one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit: joy! People exclaim to her: “Thank you for your joy!” I’ve been asking myself if people would say that to me – a bona fide believer in and follower of Jesus! 

In Catholic spirituality Joy is one of the Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit which we believe the Holy Spirit infuses in us when we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. But people who are not Catholic can still exhibit any of the fruits of the Spirit if their hearts are open to guidance and love of God or their Higher Power. A non-Catholic political candidate can represent this immeasurable gift if it comes from the heart and a solid commitment to loving others. Father Tito, a popular preacher on YouTube says, “Joy is a radiant inner glow.” I ask: Do I have a radiant glow? Do I know anyone who does? When we meet such persons, we want to be like them. We wonder what exists inside them making them so joyful. We feel the authenticity, the integrity, the buoyancy of the truth they live and want to share with us.

Last week I needed a dose of that kind of joy so when two friends invited me to do something out of the ordinary for Labor Day and attend a local county fair, I jumped at the chance. Soon we were in the midst of sheer joy. The theme was Family Day; kids were excited, corn dogs delicious, elephant ears delectable. County Fairs are magnets to accept the end-of-summer and back-to-school blues. I attended The Geauga County Fair, the oldest one in Ohio having started in 1823. For a few precious hours at a Fair, we can forget the pressures of work and the demands of family responsibilities. We are distracted from thorny hurts and the way we’ve been overlooked in relationships, promotions, career acknowledgements. Our budget is stretched, and our savings accounts wobbly at best. But on this day, this glorious day under a sky as blue as a robin’s egg, people are laughing, hugging, sharing cones with the ice cream dripping down their arms; their children are petting sheep, and ponies and squealing with delight as the chickens chase them around the Poultry Barn. There are pie contests and recipe booths and children lugging stuffed animal prizes.

I am one of those children in my memories of horseback riding and swinging from barn rafters while our farmer-neighbor sheared his sheep. And, in my memories I am overtaken  with joy! Here, at The Fair, the Draft horses are handsome in their show harnesses as they munch on bags of feed while waiting the call for the ring. We saunter through their barn and the Swine Barn and the Cow Barn each stall inside with the name of its animal and many with certificates of various awards it had won. In the midst of all this happiness I am reminded of the community we are all asked to make with one another: a community of Joy! This must be what heaven is like, I think. Simple Joy. 

A State and County Fair are slices of America. They show us at our best: happy and kind with each other and the animals with whom we are graced to share this life. In Ohio alone, there are 94 County Fairs. State and County Fairs exist in nearly every state with most State Fairs attracting more than one million visitors. Almost each is known for something particular to the state. Wisconsin’s State Fair makes the best cream puffs; Iowa has the first and largest butter cow with the distinction of being created by only five sculptors in over 100 years. Minnesota has made famous Tom Thumb’s mini-donuts and Pronto Pup corn dogs while Oklahoma offers arm-wrestling championships.

Fairs began as places to showcase the advancements of agriculture and animal husbandry, along with advice to the pioneers on how to thrive in the harsh and unexplored, undeveloped land. If you were to block out the sounds at a Fair and simply observe, you would notice nothing but smiles, apparent laughter, hugging and holding each other, embracing animals, sharing food. You would be catching a glimpse of what heaven is like: all joy.

Reflection

Sharon Kleinbaum, a well-known rabbi in New York City spent years as an advocate for the LGBTQ community who started, cautiously and timidly, to attend her synagogue more than thirty years ago, before acceptance of the gay community saw daylight. She endured painful criticism as she worked tirelessly toward inclusion in her congregation and the streets of her community. At her retirement service last month, she shared words that reflected her deep spirituality and her commitment to those not easily accepted.

“Everybody has it hard, but we can model what it means to find joy in the midst of hardship…we can create a different future. Joy is an act of spiritual and political resistance.”  

I once heard a Jesuit tell the story from Dante’s Paradiso that as Dante and Virgil traveled toward heaven, they neared the gates of heaven and Dante heard a beautiful, indescribable sound. Was it angels singing, he asked his guide, Virgil. No, said Virgil. Was it chimes or instruments? No, said Virgil. What was it he pleaded of Virgil?

“It is the sound of laughter,” said Virgil. 

That is joy in heaven!

Spend some time this week evaluating your own spirit of joy. Where and when can you be more joyful? Think of ways you can reach inside and make yourself joyful. Try to make conscious decisions every day to be joyful. It is more helpful than you can imagine.