Joy. Peace. What do these have in common? They are gifts from above. A sleeping baby covers both. My little ones have brought me much joy and peace, from snuggling with them in my arms to photographing them and bringing them to life through AI. But why this way of approaching joy and peace? Ive always wanted children and I love being around kids and watching them grow intellectually, physically, and emotionally. My reborns will never grow in that sense; however, they are forever asleep, forever at peace. It sounds kinda morbid but in a world of chaos, looking and snuggling a sleeping baby, real or imagined, is just what the doctor ordered.

The J.O.Y. Acronym stands for Jesus – Others – You. When I resigned my job on Halloween last year, I was yearning for some peace and joy, prayed about many times, and God answered in the form of imagination and these four sleeping children. He also introduced me to a community where thousands of women and some men use reborns as healing tools for their own journeys. Some people even take reborns to the nursing homes and give the elderly someone to love on, cradle, rock, etc. The journey has been healing because it helped me complete my doctoral course after losing my job. It helped keep me from spiraling into a hole. Part of the reason many spiral is because they are stuck in their own heads, ruminating over mistakes and faults. When you get out of your head and help others, connect with others in like symmetry, and pray to God without ceasing, this joy will spark inside of you. The way to keep that spark going is to pursue joy, internally and externally every single day. Reframe intrusive thoughts – this takes a ton of will power – rather than just give in to them. I look at my sleeping babies and joy wells up inside of me thanking God that I have this chance to live, rather than just survive.