inviting in joy (a musing and a shop special

July 13, 2011liz lamoreux

this year, activiely seeking joy is part of my daily practice. i want to be in this place where each day i send joy an invitation that if said aloud my sound a bit like "hello joy. i know you are out just waiting to be discovered. know that my heart is open and ready for you. i choose you. i invite you in."

and joy comes in.

because it is always there. even when my face frowns and my heart is heavy, it is there. i just have to open my eyes, my heart.

this truth annoys me at times. does that sound funny? well, sometimes seeking joy is not at the top of my list, but still in comes joy with its happy pink blooms and chocolate-covered goodness and its laughter and its kindreds and its silliness and its quietness and its music and its dancing.

each day, joy pushes me to know that it can be a companion to real and truth and all that happens in a life.

joy can be my companion.

so tuesday, i found myself packing up the family in the car for a late evening trip to barnes and noble (with an oh my goodness she is getting a molar already 13 month old) because rumor had it one of my lockets had found its way into the latest somerset life. and when i sat on the bench in the magazine section and found that locket on the "things we love in life" page, i smiled widely as joy snuck in again. even though i had tried to stand inside the grumps and fears most of the day (it was one of those days), there was joy in the form of a little paragraph from christen olivarez about the locket she had purchased at the pen & paper retreat.

hello joy.

(thank you christen and somerset life.)

today, i want to stand in the joy that comes into my life when i create these talismans of truth and send them across the world to be worn by someone in the midst of her journey. i want to honor this joy with a little celebration in the shop!

lockets from the new current collection now in the shop

here is the scoop: spend $30 in my etsy shop and I will send you a simple soul mantra necklace as a free gift with your purchase. i will choose one for you (like one of the examples pictured below) and package it up in the hopes that it will be the message that you most need in this place on your path. i am also happy to send it (with free shipping) to a friend, if you think a friend might need a quiet, powerful message right now.

when you check out, just mention "joy" or this post in the notes to seller. (note: this isn't a coupon code. just mention this in the notes to seller box that will appear right below your items in your shopping cart.) this special is available through this sunday, july 17.