Welcome back to the Character of the King Blog. Here we dive into the Gardener’s character. The first trait we are looking at is JOY.

So I sat at my desk since writing my first post wanting to really experience joy before I wrote on it again. What really gives us joy? What really gave Henley joy?

In a word — belonging. Henley already belonged to a family. A pretty good one at that. But he did not belong, or so he thought, in their experiences in the Garden. Inside, Henley was lonely. Notice, though, the big change in Henley when he understands he not only has a new heart, but he also has a new Papa — the Gardener. He has a new place of belonging, of family. And this new place brings healing to Henley and his relationships.

So why does belonging and this new sense of family bring Henley joy? Because in the deepest darkest places inside Henley he is no longer alone or lonely. Remember the Gardener tells him that although he may not see him all the time, he is always with him. Even in the belly of the beast, the Gardener’s presence is there. Henley has a friend that is always with and for him.

How many of us go through much of our lives feeling lonely? Achieving, striving, fighting, or hoarding because we are lonely inside? How much of what we think is joy, fades in time? True and lasting joy is acquired when the Gardener lives inside us.

This leads us to our next question and my next post: what about the Gardener’s character living inside of us brings such joy?

Stories are funny things. They are portals to unknown lands where you meet strange people. The Living Tale is no different. We have a central character who literally gives his heart to Henley which starts off an unexpected and exciting friendship. What do we know about this character’s heart? Where did he come from? Join Dr. Smith on this page on her search for the character of the King.

Don’t forget to interact with the characters of the book at www.TheLivingTale.com.

Here is the first article!

Joy

I sat and looked at this character, the Gardener, for a long time before deciding to write on his most penetrating trait – joy. Now that joy is my topic, it seems obvious, but it was not so obvious at first. I asked myself why. I mean, in the story he is constantly described as smiling or laughing. How did I miss it (and I’m the author)?
I missed it because I didn’t know what it is or how valuable it is once you get it. No one looks too hard for something they don’t value. So I set out to my dictionary to understand this word. Here is what I found.

Joy =  The emotion or passion excited by the expectation or acquisition of good. That excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by success, or good  fortune. Some good possessed. The rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire.

I noticed through the book that Henley gets joyful even before he saves Grandpa. So he must get something good. He does so in the form of the Gardener’s heart. It gives him the ability to let go of the things he thinks are part of his character to receive more of the Gardener’s character.  We’ll spend the next posts diving into this emotion to see how the Gardener gives it and how Henley receives it, so in the end it can be a reality for you too.

Until next time,

Jane H. Smith