Choosing to Surround Yourself with Joy

I have been with a group for many years. The group is dying. The people are getting tired -- all of them -- they are not being refreshed with those who are new, rested, and energetic. The group is dwindling in size. It's getting quieter but when there is sound, it's the sound of critical disappointment in how things are going.

Last week I experienced a new group -- it was alive with energy and enthusiasm. It was bright and colorful and dynamic. There was fun, laughter, movement, and lots of joy.

Leaving a dying group is like leaving a beloved friend who is sick and cannot heal without help. Going to a growing and lively group is like meeting someone for the first time -- your first impression may be positive, but what happens when you really get to know the new one? And how do you manage missing your old friend who meant so much for so long? The friend who may need you now?

How would divine guidance lead you? Do you stay stuck in the old, being loyal and trying to move mountains of immovable despair? Or would the God of your understanding lead you into the light of laughter and joy? Could you simply be encouraged to make just one first step "away" and also make just one first step "toward" without ripping yourself into two pieces too soon? Can the Divine help you seek the joy in the whole process, celebrating it, seeing where that leads? Can you accept that God wants all good for you? How joyful is that belief?