I spy joy in a sense of purpose

Protecting the nest and her chicks. Photo: SOLENT

If you’ve ever read Viktor Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning, you know that what kept him going through years of concentration camp imprisonment was a sense of purpose.

Feeling as though there is some reason for our being allows us to overcome challenges that might otherwise seem insurmountable.  It also, when acted upon, brings us an incredible sense of joy.

Kathi Lewis of Hollis, New Hampshire, believes every newborn deserves a warm welcome. That’s why she collects and distributes used baby clothing, gently worn garments she provides to area social workers who pass them on to their clients, new moms with limited resources.

“It’s how I worship,” she said. “This is why I was put on Earth, and this is how I give back.”   Read more about Kathi’s sense of purpose.

People aren’t the only beings who thrive when they feel there’s some greater meaning to their lives.  Many animals have done amazing things out of a sense of purpose.

The photo in this post was captured by amateur wildlife photographer Dennis Bright at a house in Fareham, Hampshire. The female thrush’s body is semi-submerged in the water of a gutter as she holds back the flow, protecting the nest and her chicks. Her mate took over feeding the mother bird and their chicks in the interim.  Read more of this story.

One of my favorite things about joy is that it spreads. From woman on a mission to social worker to mother to child. From mother bird to father bird to baby chicks. From me to you and you to me.  And around and around it goes.

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