Surprised by Joy

I don’t know when it began. I know that when I first began to pray my rosary daily it was work. It was frankly very difficult for me and uncomfortable, but I believed in the value of asking Mary every day for her intercession so I continued even if it was difficult. Lately, though, I have noticed that when I am praying, I feel a deep joy within me. It is a sense of freedom as I realize that I do not have to pray my rosary in the silence of my room, but that I can pray in my car and while at work when I have a moment. As I begin the monotony of prayers, I am liberated briefly from my worldly concerns. This is ironic because I bring my worldly concerns to prayer. They are still there but joy is added to them. Joy typically does not occur for me while I pray, so I must say that it has surprised me to experience it lately. The joy is difficult to articulate, but as I experience it in prayer I feel deep within me that it was for this moment I was created.