Last week, while I was working from home, I heard a short phone conversation my wife, Georgette, had with our daughter, Christine. Georgette was in another room of the house, but I was able to hear the conversation because the speaker on her phone was turned on.

At one point, Christine told Georgette that her two-year-old son, Will, wanted to talk to her. When Will got on the phone, he asked Georgette how she was doing. After she answered his question, he asked her the same question he asks her every time he talks to her on the phone: “Can I come over to your house?”

After they talked for a while, Christine told Will that it was time to say goodbye. When Will told Georgette that he had to go, she said, “Would you please sing a song for me before you go?”

The next thing I heard was Will’s angelic voice:

When you’re smiling
When you’re smiling
The whole world smiles with you
When you’re laughing
When you’re laughing
The sun comes shining through

But when you’re crying
You bring down the rain
So stop your sighing
Be happy again

Keep on smiling
‘Cause when you’re smiling
The whole world smiles with you

In the middle of the song, Will hesitated because he was trying to remember the words, and Georgette started singing with him. They finished the song together.

When I heard them singing, I had a flashback to the time in my life when our house was filled with the angelic voices of Georgette and our children. It was the same song that Georgette had taught each of our children when they were Will’s age.

One of the reasons I fell in love with Georgette (way back in 1978) was that she always did her best to see the good in other people and to look at the bright side of life. She had a way of finding joy and happiness in almost everything she did.

Georgette recently wrote an article and posted it on her blog at georgettewilliams.com. When I read the article, I was reminded of why I fell in love with her. I asked her if it would be okay with her if I reprinted her article in one of my weekly Adoration Letters and she said yes.

I think you will appreciate and benefit from her experience and wisdom when you read what she had to say. Here’s what she wrote:

Don’t Let Them Steal Your Joy!

Did she really just say that?

What did I ever do to her?

Was it something that I said or did?

What just happened?

These are some of the thoughts that crossed my mind when I went through grade school, high school, and college. Even now as an adult, those same thoughts cross my mind whenever someone tries to intimidate me.

My parents immigrated to America from Lebanon when I was three months old. At that time, they could not speak a word of English and could not read or write the language. When I was four years old, my parents enrolled me in kindergarten so I would learn how to speak English.

I was young, I was scared, and I did not want to be there. The other children made fun of me because I did not speak English. I could not wait to get home every day, so I could be in a safe, loving environment. Home was a place that was free from judgment and free from the fear of people laughing at me. I would tell my parents what the other children said to me, and my parents would hug me and reassure me that if the other kids knew better, they would not have treated me in an unkind way. My dad would always say, “You’re a happy girl, don’t let them steal your joy.”

Last week a woman that I know tried to cause trouble and blame everyone but herself regarding a very trivial matter. I was one of the people she was trying to blame and intimidate, and her behavior was upsetting to me. Later that day, I spoke with a young man who was also one of the people that she was trying to intimidate. We discussed the situation and his reply totally caught me off guard.

He said, “Don’t let her steal your joy. You’re a happy person.” He had no way of knowing that my dad used to say that to me whenever someone had upset me.

Immediately after I heard the young man’s comment, my dad’s words flooded my mind and my eyes filled with tears. My dad was right. I should never allow anyone to steal my joy. I should never permit anyone to take control of the joy that is in my heart and in my thoughts. They should not be the ones who decide what kind of a day I am going to have.

I sent a message back to the woman and included all the people who were involved in the incident. I informed her that I was surprised at the tone of her email and that in the future, it would be better for her to contact people directly so they could have a one-on-one discussion with her, so that her words would not be misunderstood. I had never stood up to her before when she tried to bully people, but my dad’s words and the encouragement of my husband really gave me the courage to do so. Naturally, she emailed everyone again and tried to defend her actions. It did not matter, though, because I was not going to let her ever steal my joy again.

I once read a quote that said, “Joy is not the absence of suffering, it is the presence of God.” I choose to allow the presence of God to fill my life with joy every day, and I fully intend on doing so for the rest of my life.

Are you allowing others to steal your joy?

If you are, have the courage to stand up to them, and then take your joy back from them.

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