What is Joy-Full?

Already slacking on the blog posts, but I guess it's still an improvement....

Yesterday we had a speaker at church talking about the importance of knowing what brings us joy and then making sure we make time for those things in our life. He related things back to when he was a child and remembering the things that he did that brought him joy - like riding his bike. So, I have been thinking about this a little bit and was asking myself the question...what brings me joy? Not just being happy about something...but the joy that can be found regardless of what else is going on around me.

Of course, there are some obvious things. Knowing I can come home to a husband that I love and that loves me brings me joy no matter what kind of day/week/month I had. Seeing my kids as incredible adults and gaining all of those life experiences that growing up brings makes me joyful. Grandkids...well that goes without saying. But in thinking about it, there are a few other little things that bring me joy. I like to cook a good meal or good food and share it with family and/or friends. (I remember making up crazy food concoctions when I was young and my dad always ate them.) Also, when I was younger, I was happy when I was outside. Teaching used to bring me a lot of joy when someone connected with something I was sharing or when I would see someone write something down (of course, I assumed it was something they wanted to remember in a positive way). Having a new revelation of a Scripture brings me joy. Knowing that I just learned something I didn't know before.

So, there you have it. Now if I can just remember that these are the things I should be spending my time on or somehow bringing the possibility of these joyful moments into those areas of my life that do not provide a lot of joy.

This is the year I will turn 50. Hard to believe where that many years have gone. There have been those years that sucked and there have been those years where everything seemed right with the world and a lot of years that were a combination of both. Hopefully when I look back at 2014, I will see that I have made time for joy: my husband, my children, my grandchildren, my friends and yes, my God.