Practicing Joy & Thankfulness.

For the past couple of years I've intentionally tried to find the joy in every day things, and especially in the negative or disappointing things.  At first it was a challenge, seeing as how we were in debt, made little money, and felt like there was no light at the end of that tunnel.  But as I did it more, it became very easy over time:

Atlanta:
Our only car broke down & was going to cost $1,500 to fix it.  Josh was 2 states away & we had no family around.  ----- The joy?  We had co-workers that cared enough to drive out of their way to help.  AND we had enough cash to fix the car.

Greenville:
Josh was out of town & our dog needed immediate vet attention (think: blood gushing from his head).  ---- The joy?  Again, we had friends who were able to to drive me to the vet.  And again, we had the cash to cover it.  It was something the vet was able to take care of, and that dog is still alive & well.

Those are extreme examples, but it's taught me to be thankful for everything, and that I have a billion things to be thankful for on any given day.

God has always blessed us immensely in our marriage.  But when we moved to Virginia, the blessings just multiplied.  For us, it was confirmation that we were doing what God wanted us to do.  Yeah, living 8 hours from our families really stinks.  We have awesome families!  But God has given us truly amazing friends here... friends that are family to us.

And since having Hazelnut... oh my.  The blessings just don't end.  The joy just doesn't end.  In November, when everyone started putting something they were thankful for each day on their Facebook status, I wanted to follow suit.  But then I realized... I already do that.  And I couldn't possibly make it just one post per day!

Now, I am in no way saying that you shouldn't write your thankfulness in an organized Facebook status.  In fact, I think you should!  Every day.  Or whenever you think of it.  Keep a happy heart.  Share your heart.  Share your joys.  Find the joy.  Just know that you don't have to be organized with it.  If that's too much pressure, then just do it anyway, without all the organization.  Just write what you're thankful for.  Or take a picture of something that you find joy in.  Don't hold back because you can't commit.  Do it anyway.

And one last thing.  The most important thing.  Where do you find your joy?  If I found my joy in finances, a clean house, a perfect child, a perfect job... anything here on earth... then I would be terribly let down.  All those things come & go, but God is always there.  He is where I need to find my joy... and the joy will always be there.

So go, be joyful!  Be thankful!  What do you have to be joyful for today?