PERFECT JOY

Each morning as I grab my cup of coffee and settle into my work space to begin my day, I take a quick glance to a medium sized wooden plaque with a motivational statement stenciled on it that sits next to my computer. Some offices have walls plastered with motivational posters of mountains and rivers with inspirational statements of determination, team work, and commitment. Not me. My daily declaration of motivation is simply this, “Today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry.” The first time I saw this saying was in my early 20s on the wood paneled wall of a hole-in-the-wall honky tonk my father’s country western band was playing. My sister and I caught a glimpse of this particular sign amidst a collage of quirky sayings and had such a hard laugh that the following year my sister gifted it to me on the first day of my first fulltime job. This simple statement has been with me my entire professional career and continues to be my daily driving motivational motto.

I grew up spending my summers in the mucky back waters of the Jersey shore bay. We’d be ankle deep in the mud pulling crab traps while fending off dive bombing seagulls. Anyone who has spent any time at any shore knows the fierceness of the flying gull’s determination to get its beak on anything edible, but the most coveted of all was the successful stealing of a beach-goers french fry. One seagull would capture a fry and in unison the birds would bust into a cacophony of what I perceived as joyful noise cheering on the achievement. While I am certainly anthropomorphizing the seagulls, these summer memories are deep in my core. They speak to me of simplicity and joy and help me to remember that little things really do matter! This speaks to me of the Franciscan commitment of perfect joy!

Francis’ parable to explain perfect joy to Br. Leo may leave one dismayed at the concept that perfect joy leaves one out in the cold, wet, rain, but on a deeper level it reveals that joy is beyond happiness. The elements that surround us may challenge us, they may even leave us frustrated and discouraged, but our commitment to our values and our drive for the mission sustain us. I have seen this lived out in the many expressions my professional ministry career has taken. The more responsibility that has been bestowed upon me, the more deeply I must root myself in perfect joy—because perfect joy is untouchable to outward influences. It is so profoundly knit into the fabric of our being that “a bad day at the office” cannot affect it. This does not mean there are not days of tears and frustration when things become overwhelming; however, when the tears stop and my adrenaline drops, I remember my WHY. The mission will always sustain me. When you truly believe in something, no matter how rocky and treacherous the hike may be, a moment of happiness extends from that deep seated joy—then I can say, today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry.

Sara P. Marks, M.A.
Executive Director, Franciscan Federation