When I was growing up in the small church houses of Savannah, Georgia, and then later as a teenage preacher myself, I often heard, or exulted from the pulpit, the words of Psalm 30:5: “Weeping may endure for the night, but Joy cometh in the morning!” Often those words would send the congregation and the choir into an avalanche of “hallelujahs”, “amens”, or, if the spirit was moving, a Baptist fit of shouting and dancing.
We're abundant because we live during a time when your beautifully articulated reflections are encouragement and conviction. I'm sitting with you in the tension of grief for where our world is headed and the joy of what's to come. Good things are born in the darkness. We can relish the knowledge that the best is yet to come.
I love this. Joy isn’t about everything being perfect. It’s about creating moments of life and light, together. Your words remind me that we don’t have to wait for perfection to feel truly alive.
This is excellent!! Joy is learned. I also think joy is one of humanity's strongest flavors of resistance. Like Solange sang, you *absolutely* have the right to be mad -- though if freedom is your goal, you should probably drop what's pulling you by the ankles. I too show love by sharing music that moves me, and I immediately paired your essay with Mariah Carey's "Fly Like A Bird" which contains Pastor Clarence Keaton's verse "joy comes in the morning". My book pairing is Nadra Nittle's "bell hooks' Spiritual Vision: Buddhist, Christian, and Feminist". Also "The Black Joy Project" by Kleaver Cruz, and "Hood Wellness" by Tamela Gordon.
We're abundant because we live during a time when your beautifully articulated reflections are encouragement and conviction. I'm sitting with you in the tension of grief for where our world is headed and the joy of what's to come. Good things are born in the darkness. We can relish the knowledge that the best is yet to come.
Thank you! I love the idea that good things are born in the darkness. Indeed, every seed starts there.
I love this. Joy isn’t about everything being perfect. It’s about creating moments of life and light, together. Your words remind me that we don’t have to wait for perfection to feel truly alive.
Exactly, I love the idea of joy reflecting aliveness.
This is excellent!! Joy is learned. I also think joy is one of humanity's strongest flavors of resistance. Like Solange sang, you *absolutely* have the right to be mad -- though if freedom is your goal, you should probably drop what's pulling you by the ankles. I too show love by sharing music that moves me, and I immediately paired your essay with Mariah Carey's "Fly Like A Bird" which contains Pastor Clarence Keaton's verse "joy comes in the morning". My book pairing is Nadra Nittle's "bell hooks' Spiritual Vision: Buddhist, Christian, and Feminist". Also "The Black Joy Project" by Kleaver Cruz, and "Hood Wellness" by Tamela Gordon.
You are so spot on with the pairings! Hopefully I can keep earning the company.