Again with the Joy

I recently discovered a new prayer method that seems to be working.  Instead of praying for people/situations to change, I've started praying for God to show me His joy everyday.  And it's working!  Friends are sending joy notes, and I seem to hear the word whenever it's said by whomever is saying it.  I take these as little joy notes from God, kind of like a pat on the back that I'm on the right path.  I think about what the kids will say about me if I die. Will they say she was full of joy?  Probably not right now, but I hope so as I keep working on it.  I pray for my voice to become softer and God's joy to become stronger, my controlling to subside and God's joy to abound, my anger to vanish and God's joy be all that's left.  

I had my Carmelite meeting today.  Guess what the topic was?  Joy in the Religious Life.  It was a wonderful talk.  When I was on my way out, I was walking with a gentleman from the group.  I told him how I started praying for God's joy instead of trying to change things that I didn't think were going well in my life.  He said that it was a serendipitous talk for me then, and I agreed.  He told me to look up the original Serenity Prayer that the Alcoholic's Anonymous Serenity Prayer is taken from.  He said it's a really good prayer in it's entirety.  I didn't even know there was more to it.  Here it is.

Ain't that something?