Happy Mother’s Day

Today’s words of wisdom come from Rabindranath Tagore. They show the meaning of service and how service affects joy.

Most of us have probably had experiences like the one he describes. How many times have you helped other people and experienced service is joy? How many time did you stomp through the room to do something else for someone and were in a big huff until you completed the task, received the appreciation from the person you helped, and then, all of a sudden, your huffiness turned magically into joy.

FORWARD LOOKING: Rabindranath Tagore truly believed in the mutually beneficial interactive relationship between the two great civilisation of China and India. Rabindranath Tagore

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. – Rabindranath Tagore

I know a person whose whole life is based on service to others. It’s almost like she finds service in joy so frequently that she looks for places to serve. I’ve been married to this woman for more than 33 years and she is still at it. She has taught me the how service is joy. Little does she know, until she reads these words on Mother’s Day how much of an influence she has been on me.

Another area where I learned that service is joy is in my relationships with my children. As I continue to serve their best wishes with love, support, and caring I am constantly filled with joy. For example, Rachael just moved into an apartment in San Rafael. I was asked to go to the apartment and break down the huge boxes the once contained her bed and her couch from Ikea. It was hard work breaking down these 9 foot boxes, but I did it. Afterwards, I felt great joy although I was very exhausted.

Just yesterday, I spent a lot of time to write out detailed instructions for Jessica to return her computer to its factory settings and install some software. She is in Barcelona, so this was not an easy task. Anyway, she reported that all went well and it made my morning.

A while ago, we saw an article featuring Gabrielle Bernstein in which she said, “When you are feeling helpless, help someone.”

What will you do to serve your mother, wife, or girlfriend today? Did you find that service is joy?