A Sweet Passion

A good friend of mine had been really down in the dumps for several months following the loss of his job. It's hard seeing someone you care about become so unhappy.  Like many people these days, he was laid off from his job due to the lagging economy. He'd been there for 16 years.

For the last eight months he's been looking for work, but nothing has come up, so far. As the months rolled by, I witnessed his spirit and confidence decrease considerably. His family and myself tried to be supportive and helpful in every way we could, but the situation was still pretty hard on him.  One of the things he said bothered him the most was all the idle time.  Although, he tried to keep busy, he still didn't feel productive.

Things started to change a few months ago.  During my holiday gathering this year, my grandmother showed him how to make some of her delicious and popular pies.  As he prepared the pies with her, you could see his whole demeanor change. He was having so much fun. It was something totally new and different for him.

Fast forward to the present, three months later... baking has become his passion!  He is constantly trying new recipes, baking pies, cakes and has even started selling them!  Lately, he's been building up a small clientele.

How does all this relate to my joy moment?  In the last few weeks, my dear friend has been laughing and smiling like his old self.  Today, as I was enjoying one of his amazing cakes, he shared with me how much he loves baking and how happy it makes him.  His eyes teared-up as he talked about his goals for his new passion and possible, new career path.   My eyes did too, seeing him so happy again.

He's still looking for full time work but in the meantime he's found something that gives him joy and comfort.

My joy moment today was sharing in his joy moment.    I've said it before, joy is contagious... thank goodness for that!

Stay tuned. :-)