The community of people that I follow fairly closely online are mourning and celebrating this week.  All for the same lovely person.  Gitz, also known as Sara, is heading home.

Her story, some might consider tragic – battling a crippling and rare disease, stranded in her apartment that she hasn’t left for three years – but Sara has been an inspiration to many in that her attitude does not match what you might expect.  She has chosen joy at every possible turn in her life with this disease – a struggle that has not been easy on many levels.  But she has done so and done it with a beauty, grace and courage that is to be admired.

So this week, Lisa-Jo has dedicated this 5 minute Friday to Sara.  Lisa-Jo talks about her own relationship with Sara over at her blog, The Gypsy Mama, and writes a lovely post about the place where heaven meets earth.  I hope if you pop over and read it that you are touched by her words as I was.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

2. Link back at The Gypsy Mama and invite others to join in.

3. Go a little overboard encouraging the writer who linked up before you.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on:

Joy…

I have often felt that there was a big difference between just being happy and being joyful.  It seemed to me that happiness was a surface thing, not a soul thing.  That you could be happy for a moment, for a minute, for a day, and then it could float away and elude you for just as long or longer.

But joy, real joy, was something that sat in the bottom of your belly, that encouraged you when you seemed beyond encouragement, that filled you when you felt like everything was bleeding out, that comforted you when you were beyond consolation.

I think from the little that I know of a woman named Sara Frankl that she lived this kind of joy in her life.  Handed a raw deal, a bad hand, you might say, she made the most of it.

Her friends and family and fans have been mourning and yet still celebrating her pending homecoming.  She has been an inspiration when it comes to choosing joy.  Just look for the Twitter hashtag #ChooseJoy to see what kind of impact she has had.

All from the comforts and confines of her apartment that she has been unable to leave for three years.

Honestly, I don’t even know how to compare.  When I think about my life some days I just get so down on myself.  I’m under a lot of pressures and stresses, many of which are my own doing.  And this week when I let it get the better of me, I got some fantastic news (I’ll share later) which helped to bolster my spirits.

And now, remembering Joy.  To choose it.  Willingly.  It really helps to put things into perspective, actually, to consider your circumstances and still choose to be joyful about it.

And Stop.

There have been some fantastic posts and stories about Sara lately and the impact that she has had on people across the Internet realm.  Some loving friends have even designed tattoos, “Choose Joy”, based on Sara’s own handwriting.  I have found a lot of encouragement in reading about Sara, both on her blog and from the perspective of her friends and those that her writing and life have touched.  You might find some encouragement too.

If you have a moment to spare, consider praying for Sara, her family and her dear friends who are all struggling to be as brave as Sara in the face of her coming death.