The Joy of Jona
At times I g
et called Jona. It’s one of those things where I don’t know if I should correct the person. I’ve even had a work friend tell me her husband corrected her when she called me Jona. Is my name Jona? Well kind of, it is a combination of my first and surname. I’m not sure when the trend of combining celebrity names came about but since I created the name Jona 17 years ago I’d like to think I was way ahead of my time.
Recently I’ve discovered another meaning to Jona. The Joy Of Nature & Animals. That is my photography in a nutshell. I have so much joy in capturing the beauty of this world. I’ve even started a photography group at my local Baptist Church called the Joy of Photography, or for short the JOPs. A few months after our first meet up I went to a Joy Of Photography Workshop by Steve Parish, like I said Ahead of My Time.
Joy is important. It gives me joy to photograph but I also want to pass on the joy. There is so much pain and suffering in the world that I’m out there capturing the joy of nature & animals. I want to remind people that worrying isn’t going to add a single minute to your life. In fact it can start to paralyse you, make you believe there is no way out. Instead I’d encourage you to take a moment to look around, go to the park, the beach, outdoors. Turn off the computer, the phone, disconnect from social media and breathe.
Happiness is based your circumstances but I believe joy is from having peace and hope. For me that comes from my faith in something, someone, that can’t be seen but is known. Without peace and hope you have torment and hopelessness.
A woman wrote in her sister’s obituary “Here is the truth: You have value. You have worth. You are loved. Trust the voices of those who love you. Trust the enormous chorus of voices that say only one thing: You matter. Depression lies. We must tell the truth.”
Her words have power because they are true for everyone. No matter how isolated you are you are loved.