On Joy Catching

Many of us understand the beauty and metaphoric imagery in dream catchers. We know them to be gauzy circlets of finely-woven nets made of string, thread, or yard, sometimes of various colors, sometimes with small, colored stones woven into the fabric. I have heard that these are objects of American Indian folk art, but I am only sure that they are works of beauty, sylph-like and ephemeral. And then, one wonders if a dream can be caught at all, even in a lovely receptacle…or does it flit away with morning’s first light?

Dreams may come...

Dreams may come but often unbidden. We cannot predict when an opening in our minds will fill with an idea or image that will capture our imaginations. Is it any wonder, then, that we might imagine a wonderful device that might snare a dream long enough for us to gather up what it holds?

Burst of happiness...

I often think of joy in this way. Can we predict this burst of happiness, or is it only to be hoped for in the course of a day? In the ordinariness of daily living, will there be a twinkle lying in wait for us to uncover, or might a spark of joy suddenly announce itself for no good reason except that it is one of the Gifts of the Spirit? Is there a gauzy net to capture this?

Treasures that lie within us...

Probably not. And maybe we ought not to be so intent upon holding on to something that by its nature cannot stay in one place? Dreams move through us, as does joy, and perhaps it is enough that they come at all, letting us know that our great, spiritual depths do bring us inklings of the treasures that lie within us.

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