Finding Joy

When Lynette first told me about Joy 365 and her desire to do it I thought it would be easy, kind of like the Thankful Thursday that I post on our Facebook page.

I post a lot of "I'm thankful my kids slept in or I'm thankful for Play-doh" type of stuff.  Then I started feeling guilty because I want my joy to be deeper than trite little funny posts that would make you laugh but not really think.  I want to challenge each of you (and myself) to stop and choose big and little things to be joyful for.  One of the ways that I have decided to practice joy is to start a list in my journal (it's NOT a diary) of the things that I am joyful for.  Throughout the year I will share some of the excerpts from that, my kids are also doing a "joy journal" so I might even share some of that for your reading pleasure!

As many of you know we moved to Austin on the 31st, what a way to celebrate New Year's!  Our whole family has been excited about this move and although we have had some interesting hurdles to jump through we haven't really gotten bogged down or stressed about this move.  Then, we loaded up our car and a moving truck full of our possessions and headed south for three hours.  My husband and eldest were in the moving truck and I was in "The Mom-mobile" with the other three kiddos and ten minutes from the house my youngest threw up all over herself and her car seat!  There was nowhere to pull off and clean her up so I sped to the house and waiting in front of the house is a group of guys from our church ready to unload.  In the midst of the ewwwwww factor I felt such joy that these guys that we barely know were willing to welcome us with open arms.  They were totally okay with me whisking my stinky little girl off and barely saying hello as I dumped her in a tub to clean her up.  

Then, after everybody left my husband and I started on the laundry to discover that our dryer had the wrong power cord on it.  My husband, the amazing Mr. Fix It, was able to find You Tube videos and fix the power cord (after six trips to a little appliance shop down the street).  Then, our washer hose decided to pop off and flood part of the downstairs!  Mr. Fix It was able to fix that as well.  Both of those incidents can leave you feeling discouraged and irritated or you can choose to find joy because you have a washer and dryer, you can find a You Tube video to fix an appliance, you have clothes to wear, and the list goes on.  

Finding joy isn't always easy but in the long run it's worth it.  I would rather be joyful for ALL that I have than grumble because of the things or circumstances that aren't going my way.  

Happy New Year from my sweet Dylan!