Take Joy Home

I like to ponder this poem that Charlotte Mason and her student teachers pondered every Christmas season.

Take joy home,
And make a place in thy great heart for her,
And give her time to grow, and cherish her!
Then will She come and often sing to thee
When thou art working in the furrows; ay,
Or weeding in the sacred hour of dawn.
It is a comely fashion to be glad—
Joy is the grace we say to God.
—J. Ingelow

Sometimes I like to substitute my own tasks in my ponderings (with a friendly nod and smile to the author); for example, I might change the wording to,

When thou art working in the office; ay,
Or climbing out of bed in the sacred hour of dawn.

How might you personalize those lines? Maybe

When thou art folding laundry; ay,
Or changing diapers in the sacred hour of dawn.

Home is the place where we pour our hearts into so much work. So it stands to reason that a spirit of joy that sings to us in the midst of that great work can make a big difference—in our own hearts, in the atmosphere of our homes, in our family’s lives.

Take joy home.

Cherish her in your heart. And give her time to grow.

And may you have a blessed Christmas.

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