Happy Accidents and Unexpected Moments of Joy: November 2014

Keeping Track of Joyful Moments

I had a conversation with a sister of mine recently about those ephemeral moments of joy and the happy accidents that come into our lives. These experiences briefly light up our lives like shooting stars darting across the night sky. Unfortunately, our attention returns far too quickly back to earth and the mundane routines that make up our daily lives. This conversation made me think about how I need to document those moments before they fade away entirely into oblivion. In the end, our lives are made up of "moments" and I want to remember the ones that made me smile.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Joy at a Funeral?

My childhood friend's father passed away recently and I attended his funeral today. So, you might be thinking that this is an odd entry for my first "joyful moments and happy accidents" story, but hear me out. The most vivid memory of Sara's dad is that he was a wretched driver. I recall one time he was driving us to some high school function and he decided he needed to come to a complete stop for some reason in the middle of a very busy freeway. Eek. When I was at the viewing last night, one of the first things Sara mentioned was his horrible driving habits and we had a very good laugh over that.

Sara's daughter Lucy sang several songs at today's funeral mass and this is the first time I've heard Lucy sing. When she sang Shepherd Me, O God, I was transported. I know it's trite to describe Lucy's voice as angelic, but I literally got lost in the sound of her voice performing that beautiful song which I had never heard before today. It was sublime. That was my joyful moment for today.