Serious Joy
A blog about the pursuit of your highest good, standing in the light of life's journey, allowing joy to partner in your healing and living audaciously and boldly beyond life's circumstances
LIVE IN YOUR JOY!
SERIOUSLY.
Welcome!
Hey there, I'm Saunder Marie
I’m so glad you’re here. As a woman, mother, professional, artist, new blogger and lifelong student of life, I created this space to explore the beautiful intersection of joy and life stewardship. After facing my own healing and self-forgiveness journey, I started this blog because I believe that seeking happiness isn't just a whim—it's a practice. Here, we dive into "Serious Joy," finding deep, intentional delight in the midst of our busy, sometimes turbulent and challenging, ever-changing lives.
Stewardship
Protecting your inner peace to ensure capacity to truly experience and sustain joy
Intention
Serves as the guiding compass for your emotional life, shifting the focus from waiting for happiness to happen to actively creating the condition where it can thrive.
Practice
Repeatedly showing up for joy, even in the toughest of circumstances, transforming it from a spontaneous feeling into a durable habit of the heart.
Lifestyle
The structural architectural design of your daily existence, where small, consistent choices about how you live determine your baseline for happiness.
Blog Post
The Lemonade is sweeter than the lemons.
Walk for Joy
Come join us!
Inspired by the powerful energy of the Walk for Peace that recently touched the hearts of thousands in our city, I am thrilled to invite you to our Walk for Joy beginning in the Spring of 2026..
Just weeks ago, we watched a group of venerable Buddhist monks complete the 100th day of their 2,300-mile pilgrimage right here in Richmond. Their message was clear: peace is not a destination, but a daily practice that begins within. As they crossed the Manchester Bridge and gathered at Richmond City Hall, they reminded us that when we walk with intention, we carry a "river of peace" into our community.
We are taking that baton and continuing the journey with our monthly Walk for Joy.
Serious Joy
March
Book of the Month
Building a Strong Community Together through Literature
"Be Water, My Friend," written by the daughter of Bruce Lee, Shannon Lee, refers to Bruce Lee’s famous teaching on adaptability. Shannon explains that water is powerful because it is formless; it can flow around obstacles or crash through them with immense force.
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Adaptability: Just as water becomes the cup it is poured into, we should adjust to our circumstances without losing our core essence.
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Softness and Strength: True power comes from being "soft yet powerful"—flexible enough to change but resilient enough to endure
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Facing Fear and Adversity: Rather than fighting obstacles head-on, the book teaches readers to "flow" through them, viewing setbacks as opportunities for introspection and redirection.
Get in Touch
Join the Community!