Reclaiming Joy as an Act of Devotion

Mirabai is often depicted dancing with rapturous joy—not despite her longing but through it. Her devotion was full-bodied, alive, ecstatic. For grieving children, there's often a profound guilt around joy: How can I laugh when they're gone? How can I enjoy summer camp, birthday cake, friendship when they can't? This guilt silences children's capacity for life. Mirabai's model suggests something radical: joy is not betrayal of the dead but continuation of their love in us. A child can dance at their friend's memorial service. Can laugh while telling stories about the person who died. Can enjoy the exact same foods or games that person loved, making joy an act of devotion. This reframes grief as something that includes aliveness, not something that demands its opposite. The person who died likely wanted the child to be happy, to grow, to flourish. Joy becomes a gift to their memory. This doesn't mean the child isn't grieving; it means grief is large enough to contain both tears and laughter, both pain and delight. Mirabai teaches that life lived fully, joyfully, ecstatically is the ultimate honoring of those we've loved and lost.