Hello, I'm Barbra Sundquist and I'm the publisher and main writer of WelcomeJoy. As today is the first day of a brand new year, it seems a particularly good day to launch WelcomeJoy.

I've created this blog as a place where people can share their photos and stories of what brings them joy. Big or little, profound or mundane, I'd love to hear your stories and I'll include as many of them here as I can.

To send stories or photos celebrating joy in all its forms, please email:

contact [at] welcomejoy.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

Recently I met a lovely woman named Linda Boos. She told me about some of the struggles she has overcome in her life. I was struck by how much life wisdom she has gained from her experiences, and I asked her to contribute to the WelcomeJoy ebook. She agreed, and this is what she wrote:

"There was a time when I confused joy and happiness. Being happy is a feeling, while joy is a state of mind, a whole body experience. Joy is always there, even in the worst of times. The joy and gratitude I carry with me sustain me when things are not as they should be.

One of my most joyous peace filled moments was holding my mother’s hand as she completed her earthly journey. My father and I both left that room feeling more peace than I think we had for awhile. I was actually smiling (I guess you just had to be there). Joy and gratitude define me: they are expressions of my soul that others see.

My life has not always been easy. I have had my share of bumps and bruises along the way. Twenty years ago I came to grips with my alcoholism and started to learn about gratitude then. Being grateful for toilet paper is an art that I developed when I could not find anything else to be grateful for! As my sense of what is important developed, I became more and more grateful and my joy started to appear.

I have a friend who told me in my darkest times, that she would hold the dreams in the palms of her hands until I was ready to take them back. It was a good while before I was able to take them back, but take them back I did.

Deep joy is always there. While you may not always feel “happy”, peace and gratitude can always be present. My dream holder friend, when asked how she is, most always replies with “I am blessed”.

This is a woman with four girls, who at times worked three or four jobs to make ends meet. Her husband had challenges and for a time she was the sole breadwinner. I often thought that her response was fake, just a pat response so others would think everything was okay.

But now I realize she has deep joy. Recently I experienced that feeling of wanting to respond with “I am blessed”. I was pondering and realized that I am truly blessed and that acknowledging blessedness is a byproduct of recognizing the joy within.

The easiest way for me to spread joy is just to be me. I wish I could package it and sell it on the corner. The best I can do reach out to others, not worry about what I am getting, but concentrate on what I give.

Most importantly, my joy and gratitude now allow me to hold other’s dreams in the palms of my hands until they are ready to take them back."

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If you would like to contact Linda Boos you can e-mail her at lsboos [at] columbus.rr.com

This little dog makes me laugh.

I love laughing, don't you?

It's fun, and it's also one of the fastest routes to connection with other people.

I have a notebook that I paste snippets of this and that into. If I'm flipping through a magazine and I see an illustration that grabs me, I'll tear it out for my notebook. When I visit art galleries I pick up the postcards that are often on offer (they're usually extras of the invitations that were sent out for the show), These too get glued in my notebook.

Of course, my notebook also has words in it. If I read a great quotation I jot it down in my notebook. Or if someone says something nice to me I record it in my special book.

And when I get photos of people or things that I find especially dear, I add them to my notebook rather than leave them hanging around in a drawer waiting to be put in an album.

On a practical level, I find it important to have my notebook accessible. I keep it on the table next to my reading chair, as that's where I'm most likely to be tearing things out. I also keep a glue stick handy so I can paste it in right away.

In this way, I create a deeply personal record of things that bring me joy. It's always there to brighten a rainy day or to provide inspiration for artwork or writing.

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Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deeper essence, something helpless that needs our love.
~Rilke

We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are.
~Anais Nin

We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.
~Carl Jung

For after all, the best thing one can do when it's raining, is to let it rain.
~Henry Wadworth Longfellow

Little Miss Sunshine is a totally delightful movie. I put it in my all-time top three comedies (the other two are A Fish Called Wanda and The Big Lebowski). Please note that I use the term "comedy" advisedly - all the of the movies mentioned are definitely black comedies.

This is a quirky, sweet movie about an odd family on a road-trip. There's the dad, a relentlessly positive motivational-speaker who is desperate for a book deal. And the scholarly depressed uncle who is staying with the family after a mental breakdown. The acerbic teenage son who has taken a vow of silence and communicates only by writing short notes. The plain little girl who dreams of winning in a child beauty pageant. The aging hippy grandpa who snorts cocaine and advises his grandson to get all the sex he can while he's young. And the mom who tries to keep the peace among all of them.

Oh, and let's not forget possibly the most important character of all...the aging VW van that carries them to their destination.

Some of my favorite Little Miss Sunshine quotes:

I loved this movie, but one word of warning: the grandpa swears like a biker. If liberal use of the f word ruins a movie for you, then I'd advise against Little Miss Sunshine. But if you're ok with coarse language, and you appreciate a well-written and beautifully acted movie, then go rent the DVD tonight!

The impulse to grow and thrive is innate to all living things. This truth was made visible to me recently when I found a forgotten bag of flower bulbs tucked away in a corner of my garage. As I opened the bag I was amazed to see vigorous roots sprouting even though the bulbs have been in such an inhospitable environment.

Ideally the bulbs would have been planted in the warm soil of early autumn, allowing lots of time to put down roots into good soil before the winter.

Even though it's way too late to plant, I placed them in the ground with care. I remain hopeful that they will take hold and bloom in the spring. After all, those bulbs clearly want to grow.

I'm very pleased to be able to share this essay written by my colleague Noel Posus. Noel is one of the most delightful people I've ever met. I think when you read his article you'll understand why I say that. Enjoy!

"Everyday I feel joy, and I’m incredibly grateful for it. I must admit however that there have been times when joy seems a bit hard to come by, and during some of those darker moments, the search for joy itself seemed to be even more difficult.

I’ve learned a number of lessons regarding joy over the years, and many of them in the past nearly twenty years as a life coach. Coaching may have taught me the tools to connect with joy, but it’s actually been other experiences that anchor the most joy in my life.

And by creating metaphors for my life, for strength and for any time when I need to tap into my inner resourcefulness, I have learned how to connect with joy in an instant!

Here’s my metaphor for joy, and I thank you in advance for allowing me to share it with you.

When I was a professional dancer

Many years ago, before I was a coach, I was a professional dancer. To this day dance is a central part of my life although I don’t spend much time on a stage anymore. Everything I experienced in dance brought joy to my life, even the injuries, the missteps and the unsuccessful shows.

My own coach asked me about a time in my life when I felt the strongest, and that I felt I had the resources to address any situation, no matter what. I instantly connected with dance, and I was able to make a number of connections from the dancing world to my current existence.

For example, the stage itself is also the stage on which I dance life now. It may be the