Finding Joy | Missoula Photographer

{Week 52} Finding Joy  (This is last week's theme; the last of my year long photography project!) My path in life is about finding joy.  And love and peace.

One thing I know with certainty, is that I am strong, determined and driven.  So is my husband.  There is nothing we cannot face and overcome and grow from.  We have been tested by Life, as they say, over and over and over.  And yet, here we stand, still.  It can sometimes seem insurmountable, when hardships present themselves… Yet, we have always found a way.  Always had the strength when we needed it.  Always pulled ourselves up.  We are always moving forward, learning and growing.  We do not stagnate, spend idle time complaining, or resign ourselves to self-pity.

What does this have to do with Joy?  When you stop resisting your situation, and instead accept what is, and respond with self-control and full responsibility for only your own actions, you experience a profound peace and feeling of joy.  This is one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned, and it has been a major theme of the past year. It has been life changing for me… learning to accept people’s actions and circumstances in my life for what they are…

In the pause between what happens around me and my action lies my choice.  And that is what gives me total freedom and peace and joy.

It’s being present.  Soaking in each moment for all it’s worth.  Not holding onto to some false belief that I can control anything, and I mean ANYTHING, other than my own thoughts and actions.  And this, my friends, brings so much joy to life.  The peace and love in my life now is fulfilling and satisfying.  There’s a general sense of connectedness or wholeness.

It’s something that I never believed I would find.  Like so many others, I come from a place of struggle, of darkness and despair.  Feeling lost and not good enough and damaged.

If you are still there… in darkness, trust me, Joy is there.  It’s waiting for you.  I promise you can have it too.  You just have to believe it.  And let go of the delusion of control over anything except for yourself.

Let’s move forward in this new year toward finding joy.

erin_valkner_photography

erin_valkner_photography

erin_valkner_photography