A mother, who is also trained in spiritual formation and is a Presbyterian ‘Stephen’ Minister, created a wonderfully thoughtful way to help her teenage daughter find meaning and move through some adolescent challenges. Pam Robertson wrote out a month’s worth of inspiring quotes on strips of paper, put them in a glass jar, and placed them in her daughter’s room. Eventually her daughter picked one up and read it. It became a ritual to read one each day and lead her to find new happiness and purpose.

Today, Pam Robertson and her daughter make and distribute Joy Jars to others seeking gentle thoughtful support.

This is a powerful practice, meaningful to both the creator and receiver. It is a brilliant way to help and comfort a teenager because the jars speak for themselves and can simply be placed where they can be discovered. The jars circumvent any issues of nagging, intruding, or offering unwelcome advice.  Jars of Joy is placed in the mindfulness section because creating them or reading a quote from a jar brings us into the present moment.

Creating Joy Jars can be:
♥  a personal practice
♥  a comforting support for someone else
♥  a parenting practice

You can view Pam and her daughter Meredith’s story here and learn more about making Jars of Joy yourself.

A film by HooplaHa.

Video from KarmaTube