[Music]
how does this little face make you feel
for me it’s immediate joy in its purest
form when was the last time you felt
like her when we were children we felt
this sort of joy naturally it was
spontaneous it was raw and it was
without fear of judgment it’s my belief
that joy is within all of us and
sometimes to feel it within yourself you
must first give that same feeling away
to others when I think back as a child
my earliest and fondest memories of
feeling joy were the summers I spent
with my sweet grandma Freda performing
simple acts of kindness for her like
tending to her endless flowerbeds now I
will admit I didn’t necessarily love
spending the humid summer days digging
in dirt well my brother and cousin
seemed to get off the hook but as I
recall I didn’t complain and maybe I
complained once I’ll just tell you that
but and I think it’s really because
these small seemingly insignificant acts
were done out of the love that I felt
for my grandma and more importantly the
joy that those simple acts brought to
her I distinctly remember how my efforts
brought a soft and sincere smile to her
face and I felt the most fulfilled in my
life when I’m cultivating those moments
of joy for others now as life would have
it I am NOT the carefree little girl I
once was I grew up and that sees some
harsh realities of life like anxiety and
depression and a lot of self-doubt I’m
sure many of you here have faced similar
challenges and somewhere along the way
that joy seems to slip lower and lower
on the list of priorities
sometimes even feeling out of reach it’s
easy to take joy for granted because
forget just how important it is to our
well being I believe joy is a basic need
and it’s universal to each and every one
of us so why don’t we give joy more
often well I think that’s because it
takes a concerted effort on our part not
to let the stress and responsibilities
of life harden us because for everything
that joy offers it does require two
things from us to be vulnerable and
number two to risk opening our hearts to
share that with others so that is what I
did I made a conscious effort to share
my joy with others little did I know all
of those summers digging in the dirt
with my sweet grandma would plant the
seed for hope blooms a flower recycling
project I created that repurposes
flowers from special events like
weddings and funerals we have created
and delivered more than two thousand
bouquets to community members who could
just use a little extra joy in their day
from hospice patients to nursing home
residents to women staying at the
emergency shelter at the YWCA we are
delivering small bouquets but I believe
that we’re creating a lasting feeling
for those who need it most like Caroline
the wife of John a hospice patient
Caroline teared up when her husband
received a bouquet of white roses just
like the bed of roses in their backyard
he lovingly cared for before he became
ill she said the flowers lifted their
hearts during a difficult time and she
took that bouquet and placed at her
husband’s bedside where he could smell
the roses the joy that first bloomed the
summers working in my grandma’s garden
lives on in the community we’re creating
for others and it’s become even more
special and significant for me with her
recent passing there is a true magic in
offering unexpected
of kindness compassion and joy whether
that’s to a close friend or complete
stranger something as simple as writing
a thank-you note giving somebody a
compliment or simply looking them in the
eyes and smiling because ordinary acts
can have extraordinary meaning they
bring light to the darkness creating a
more inclusive and brighter place for
each and every one of us to live don’t
listen to that doubt that says it’s not
your place or it could be awkward or
perhaps you’ll make time later imagine
for just a moment if all 2,000 of us
here today made it a point to create one
tiny moment of joy for someone else that
is the kind of place I want to live how
about you
[Applause]
[Music]
you
how does this little face make you feel
for me it’s immediate joy in its purest
form when was the last time you felt
like her when we were children we felt
this sort of joy naturally it was
spontaneous it was raw and it was
without fear of judgment it’s my belief
that joy is within all of us and
sometimes to feel it within yourself you
must first give that same feeling away
to others when I think back as a child
my earliest and fondest memories of
feeling joy were the summers I spent
with my sweet grandma Freda performing
simple acts of kindness for her like
tending to her endless flowerbeds now I
will admit I didn’t necessarily love
spending the humid summer days digging
in dirt well my brother and cousin
seemed to get off the hook but as I
recall I didn’t complain and maybe I
complained once I’ll just tell you that
but and I think it’s really because
these small seemingly insignificant acts
were done out of the love that I felt
for my grandma and more importantly the
joy that those simple acts brought to
her I distinctly remember how my efforts
brought a soft and sincere smile to her
face and I felt the most fulfilled in my
life when I’m cultivating those moments
of joy for others now as life would have
it I am NOT the carefree little girl I
once was I grew up and that sees some
harsh realities of life like anxiety and
depression and a lot of self-doubt I’m
sure many of you here have faced similar
challenges and somewhere along the way
that joy seems to slip lower and lower
on the list of priorities
sometimes even feeling out of reach it’s
easy to take joy for granted because
forget just how important it is to our
well being I believe joy is a basic need
and it’s universal to each and every one
of us so why don’t we give joy more
often well I think that’s because it
takes a concerted effort on our part not
to let the stress and responsibilities
of life harden us because for everything
that joy offers it does require two
things from us to be vulnerable and
number two to risk opening our hearts to
share that with others so that is what I
did I made a conscious effort to share
my joy with others little did I know all
of those summers digging in the dirt
with my sweet grandma would plant the
seed for hope blooms a flower recycling
project I created that repurposes
flowers from special events like
weddings and funerals we have created
and delivered more than two thousand
bouquets to community members who could
just use a little extra joy in their day
from hospice patients to nursing home
residents to women staying at the
emergency shelter at the YWCA we are
delivering small bouquets but I believe
that we’re creating a lasting feeling
for those who need it most like Caroline
the wife of John a hospice patient
Caroline teared up when her husband
received a bouquet of white roses just
like the bed of roses in their backyard
he lovingly cared for before he became
ill she said the flowers lifted their
hearts during a difficult time and she
took that bouquet and placed at her
husband’s bedside where he could smell
the roses the joy that first bloomed the
summers working in my grandma’s garden
lives on in the community we’re creating
for others and it’s become even more
special and significant for me with her
recent passing there is a true magic in
offering unexpected
of kindness compassion and joy whether
that’s to a close friend or complete
stranger something as simple as writing
a thank-you note giving somebody a
compliment or simply looking them in the
eyes and smiling because ordinary acts
can have extraordinary meaning they
bring light to the darkness creating a
more inclusive and brighter place for
each and every one of us to live don’t
listen to that doubt that says it’s not
your place or it could be awkward or
perhaps you’ll make time later imagine
for just a moment if all 2,000 of us
here today made it a point to create one
tiny moment of joy for someone else that
is the kind of place I want to live how
about you
[Applause]
[Music]
you
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