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Life was good…when you had JOY,
But, it was taken from you;
Now…you’re under a dark cloud,
The sky is no longer blue.

Take stock…see what is missing,
Has your life changed in some way?
Used to be that you were happy,
Now…color your world ‘gray’.

Sounds like JOY is missing,
Wherever could it be?
When JOY was here…with you,
You were happy…you were free.

Did it begin to slip away,
A hole in your pocket…perhaps?
“No hole here”…you say,
So…just when did your world collapse?

In retrospect…hindsight is always best,
We see the choices we have made;
Not always using wisdom,
Or…we allowed others to make a trade.

They took a bit of us,
Giving us bondage in return;
It was slow and it was subtle,
They gave…what our hearts did yearn.

We didn’t notice for a long time,
They were crafty in their deeds;
And then…one day we were empty,
We stood all alone…in need.

Most precious of commodities,
Our JOY had taken flight;
We awoke one morning…it was gone,
It had vanished…one night.

Now there’s time to ponder,
Reflect on past events;
They took advantage…we were used,
Not a happy thought…but that’s where it went.

Why had we allowed this robbery,
Why had we not stopped it?
It was in our power to do so,
Still…we didn’t put a stop to it.

It cost us a portion…here,
And then…a portion there;
It wasn’t very long at all,
Before our lives had been stripped bare.

Our JOY had vanished…overnight,
We let it slip away;
But, we found it was too costly,
We should have turned and walked the other way.

But, love can make us do strange things,
Give…until there’s nothing left;
Was it true love…the question…now,
For we’re left feeling…bereft.

Now is the time to get JOY back,
This has gone on…far too long;
Our JOY should not be taken from us,
Bring it back…where it belongs.

True…we can give JOY to others,
And, it’s more blessed to give…than receive;
In giving JOY…we receive JOY,
And, even more than we perceive.

So fill up your life with JOY,
Let nobody rob it from you;
When you give away JOY…it’s a delight,
Don’t let anyone rob you…whatever you do!

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March 15, 2003

Aimee Love
(LHG)