Category: joy

The Gift of Joy

On By Betty OwensIn joy, life, love, Memories

Friends

I made this meme for a dear friend who was going through a difficult time. Her name is Robin, and back in the day when we lived closer together, she was always the ray of sunshine in my life. Kicking up her heels and celebrating. So when I heard she was facing a tough challenge, I wanted to make her laugh, or at least giggle, and remember those times. So I made the meme.

You know the kind of person who always seems to rise to the top? I had an aunt like that. No matter how bad things got, she always found a way to lighten the mood. She sang a silly song, or danced a little dance. Before we knew it, we were giggling then joining in on the silliness. That’s probably why I was drawn to Robin. Or maybe it was her red hair and the way her nose crinkled when she laughed.

We raised our kiddos at the same time, so when we needed a break, we got together and let them all play while we visited. She’d never let me cower in the corner, she made me play cards, whether I wanted to or not. I got involved because she made me and I always enjoyed myself immensely. But I’d still rather be a troll. It’s my nature. I’m the owl in the tree. She’s a…well…a robin. Robins sing beautifully and flit about. They’re given to hospitality, always catching worms and working on their nests.

So Robin and I, back in the ’80s, used to exer-dance (aerobics) to Donna Summer’s She Works Hard for the Money, dressed in our 80’s exercise get-up with our sweatbands and legwarmers and all that. How we managed to keep a straight face, even part of the time, I do not know. The aerobic part was breathing through the laughter.

I’ve shared the ancient video here.

Is there someone in your life like my friend, who can always make you laugh? Or, maybe you’re the one who has the gift of Joy. I’d love for you to share one of those funny moments in the comments section. And if you do choose to share it, let me know if you’d like me to include it in a collection of funny stories I’ll blog about later!–Thanks for your help.

There are humorous situations in my latest release, Annabelle’s Ruth, sometimes provided by animals. If you love a warmhearted love story, I hope you’ll give it a try. It’s only $4.99 on Kindle and also available in print.

AnnabellesCollageBuy it at Amazon ♥   Buy it at GoodReads ♥ Thank You!

Paid in Full – an Epiphany

On By Betty OwensIn deliverance, epiphany, freedom, Gifts, joy2 Comments

There are moments in life when we figure something out and the knowledge sets us free. We sometimes call this an epiphany.

I had one of those things this week. If you owe someone a lot of money and you can’t pay even part of it back, you’re not going to be excited to see them. But one day, a man in similar circumstances (we’ll call him Ray) received a summons to appear before someone from whom he’d borrowed a large sum of money (we’ll call this guy Arnie). Arnie had a business to run after all, and needed his money back. Ray dreaded the appointment because he didn’t have the money to repay the debt. The time came for him to go to the meeting with Arnie and knowing he couldn’t get out of it, he went.

On the way, he contemplated, what is the worst that could happen? Well, at that particular time in history, the worst could be death or imprisonment. Or, Ray and/or his family could be sold into servitude to pay his debt. Which is exactly what happened. When Ray told Arnie he couldn’t pay, Arnie got mad, slammed his fist on his desk and promptly called for his minions to take Ray and his entire family and sell them. Sell them. Slavery. The money made on the sale would pay off the debt.

Yikes. Ray was pretty upset. This was not one of those seven-year indenture kicks, it was life. Not just for him, but his whole family, too. Ray fell on his face in front of Arnie and began to weep. “I’m so sorry! I’ve been an idiot. Please forgive me, and allow me a bit more time to come up with the money.”

Arnie was smart enough to know that a man like Ray would have a really hard time coming up with the amount of the debt, which was great by the day’s standards. Years of compounded interest had ballooned the original sum. But Ray’s humility as he sobbed like an infant, lying on the floor, touched Arnie’s heart. “Get up, Ray. Today’s your lucky day. I’m going to let you off the hook.”

Ray stood, blew his nose and wiped away the tears. “When do you need payment? I’ll get it somehow.”

“No,” Arnie said. “You don’t understand. I’m letting you completely off the hook. You don’t owe anything.” He picked up the paper that Ray had signed, tore it in two and tossed it on the fire. “The debt is paid in full.”

Ray was speechless. Once again, tears ran down his bearded cheeks, obscuring his view of Arnie. He swallowed a grapefruit-sized lump in his throat, and pushed out a word of thanks. Confused and kind of in shock, he backed out of the office and started home. Then it hit him. His debt was paid in full. He owed nothing. Zero. Naught. Zilch. He danced all the way home.

I am standing here today, free from debt. Set free from a load of debt I could never repay unless I’d won the lottery or. . .ok, that’s just silly. I have no debt. None. Zero. Zilch. Free. It feels good. I’d like to break into a song and dance routine, but it would scare the neighbors.

When someone pays a debt for you, a really big debt, after you recover from the shock and humility, you’re going to feel pretty good. Like Ray, you may want to dance. But one thing I would urge you to do: Do unto others. You’ve been forgiven, forgive others. No matter how big the debt incurred against you. Forgive. In complete forgiveness, there is true freedom.

I know this is a little different, but it comes from my heart. Thanks for reading.