The Goodness Blog 

Joy

"Ordinary happiness depends on happenstance. Joy is that extraordinary happiness that is independent of what happens to us. Good luck can make us happy, but it cannot give us lasting joy. The root of joy is gratefulness. We tend to misunderstand the link between joy and gratefulness. We notice that joyful people are grateful and suppose that they are grateful for their joy. But the reverse is true: their joy springs from gratefulness. If one has all the good luck in the world, but takes it for granted, it will not give one joy. Yet even bad luck will give joy to those who manage to be grateful for it. We hold the key to lasting happiness in our own hands. For it is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful." -- From "Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer," by Brother David Steindl-Rast

I wanted to share this with you because I found it really beautiful. I would phrase it a little differently, but I agree the with main idea. Gratitude is a part of accepting what is. You can't be grateful if you are at war with the present moment. And you can't be joyful that way either.

Embracing the present moment, just as it is, no matter whether its contents fit our ideas about what we want to be... that is the key to unconditional happiness. And that is my prayer for you - right now.