THE HEALING ENERGY OF JOY

Joy and laughter are so important in the whole experience of healing according to Dr. Gladys Taylor McGarey. The daughter of medical doctors who were missionaries in India, she has carried on in the healing area for more than half a century.

A pioneer in holistic medicine, Gladys Taylor McGarey M.D., M.D. (H) writes a column Venture Inward Magazine. She explains: “Joy and laughter are so important in the whole experience of healing. Joy is not found in superficial pleasures, which can be pleasant and help us get through some hard times, but true joy is deeper than that – it does not look to things on the outside to give us joy, but comes from the inner experiencing of the at-one-ment of body, mind and spirit. It is important to understand that to be joyous does not mean there will not be times of sadness or depression. Life is full of mountaintops and valleys. We go through the valley so that the mountaintop experiences can help us through the work that is done in the valley. Life would be very dull and bland if we did not have our ups and downs, good times and hard times, our mountains and our valleys. It has been said that hard jobs are done by those who can, impossible jobs are done by those who care, and transforming jobs are done by those who are committed. Joy comes from being present in the moment, so that in the very experiencing of them we are transformed.”

Journalists who are covering the devastating earthquake in Haiti say they are amazed how the residents of that country are handling their desperate situation. Sorrow in the great loss of life contrasts with the joys of still finding some still alive as they dig through the rubble. In the night darkness those who remain gather outside and sing to avoid the falling debris during aftershocks. Our prayer: “That the troubles in Haiti will diminish as we send help and their lives will be filled with hope and joy for the future.”