Joy and happiness get a lot of play this time of the year. But so much of it is of the cookie-cutter variety, manufactured by greeting-card companies, retailers and media. The real thing can be hard to recognize.
This month we focus on stories of people who are creating a very special kind of joy in their lives by listening to their own unique voices.
We profile an amazing couple who decided to adopt one child and ended up opening their hearts and home to six. We talk to a woman who confidently tells us why forgoing sex until she’s married works for her. We also hear from an accomplished writer who refused to let her sexual orientation keep her from experiencing the joys of motherhood.
Sometimes making room for joy requires forgiving the mistakes and missteps of people close to us. That’s the lesson I took away from Isabel Wilkerson’s profile of Magic and Cookie Johnson. Most women I know want a lasting, committed, intimate partnership that celebrates good times and survives the bad. Thank you, Magic and Cookie, for sharing how you got there.
And what about our readers? What are you doing to increase the joy and peace in your world? I’d love to hear from you soon.
To share your story of joy, send an e-mail to dweathers@essence.com
To read the rest of “Straight Talk,” pick up the December issue of ESSENCE.