Joy doesn’t always arrive with fireworks.
Sometimes it whispers.
Sometimes it glimmers quietly at the edges of your day—
a soft laugh, a warm memory, a light that flickers just enough
to remind you you’re still here, still held, still capable of feeling good even in tender seasons.
Words of Light
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
— Psalm 118:24 (NIV)
Reflection
During seasons of grief or transition, joy can feel complicated.
There can be guilt around feeling good, hesitation around embracing goodness, or fear that joy is fragile and fleeting.
But joy was never meant to replace your pain—it is meant to sit gently beside it.
And gratitude is not denial—it is recognition.
A moment of breathing in with awareness: Even here, something good remains.
Joy doesn’t demand that you be happy.
It simply invites you to notice where light still gathers around the edges of your life:
- a soft sunrise
- a message from someone who loves you
- the warmth of tea between your hands
- a memory that brings more sweetness than ache
- a moment of laughter that surprises you
These are not small things—they are anchors.
They are reminders that even in a tender season, you are capable of experiencing warmth.
Gratitude, too, is not a performance.
It is a posture of awareness, a way of gently shifting your focus to what nourishes you rather than what consumes you.
Today, give yourself permission to feel good when goodness finds you.
Notice what lifts you.
Let joy be a companion, not a contradiction.
And let gratitude gather softly around you like winter light.
Pause and Consider...
What small moment of goodness is trying to reach you today, even if quietly?
Journal Prompts
- A small joy I noticed recently is…
- Today, I am grateful for…
- I feel a sense of warmth or comfort when…
- A simple blessing I want to acknowledge is…
Affirmation
I welcome small joys and quiet blessings. Gratitude and light rise gently within me.
Peace,
Rita
Rita Lynn Berry, EdS, LCMHC, is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and the founder of NewVision Counseling and Consulting Services, PLLC. She is also the creator of the Journey to Me™ program and Mend n Muse Media™, where she shares tools and reflections that support healing, resilience, and self-love.