Joy from Joy

Some days I blog about the painful, funny, important lessons I learn each day, but today I just wanted to look through my pictures.  Pictures that when I look at them make me feel something.  Pictures that remind me of exactly how I felt at the moment I took the picture. I love taking pictures.  I love weddings.  I love taking pictures at weddings.  I love performing weddings.  I love getting married.  My husband and I renew our vows every 5 years.  We actually have a wedding and get married over and over again.   So basically I have married him 4 times already.  While on vacation last summer in Encinitas California, I was on the beach.  We were there all day.  As most of the family headed home, I announced I wasn’t leaving until the sunset.  The beach got less busy and I walked to my car to get some snacks.  I saw a young lady that appeared to be, changing her clothes in the parking lot.  I commented on what a beautiful dress.  Later, while lying on the beach I noticed her and a small group of people walking down the beach.  It was a wedding.  I used my camera with as much zoom as possible but the love of weddings, the beach, the sunset, and not to mention the Marine in his dress blue uniform had me too curious to just lay there.  I kind of felt like I was a wedding crasher. I moved closer and watched as the ceremony ended, the guests disbanded and the official picture taking started.  They did what seemed to be hundreds of poses even some on the rocks in the water with the waves crashing behind them.  From a distance it looked as if they did not escape some of the breaking waves on the boulders but when the water would settle, there they were, all dry.  I could no longer resist. I zoomed in again, all my little camera had.  It was an amazing story.  No sound. No voices.  Just the expressions on their faces.  Not only the couple but the photographers.  They were all proud, happy, and joyful.  The next thing I knew I was crying.  Like that laughing, smiling, and crying, all at once thing.  It was just so amazingly beautiful.    It reminded me how many times we miss the opportunity to be happy.  It seems so obvious, if you can’t be happy for yourself, borrow someone else’s happy.  I remember that day that I was already pouting knowing it was our last day on the beach.  But in that instant.  The click of a button, there happiness filled me with joy, delight, pleasure, even peace.  It was their wedding day.  They would cherish that day forever, but that moment, that instant brought me joy.  Sometimes I realize that getting out of my head is the safest place to be.  When I am thinking about others and not drowning in my own pity party.  When I can be happy for someone else’s happiness or feel their sadness with them.  A sorrow shared is cut in half. A joy shared is doubled.  Don’t let anyone steal your joy, give it away freely.