Joy

“This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it”

Discovering Joy
After two days of snow flurries and the weatherman predicting rain, the Lord sent Drew and I a special gift wrapped in white. This afternoon the fog overtook the sunshine and a blanket of snow poured down on us.

It was beautiful, magical, like something out of a fairytale. The streets were empty, people still hard at work, so I awoke Drew from his slumber with promise of a great adventure. The flakes embraced the sky, a small Texas blizzard -- Drew screamed and wiggled out of my arms towards the window. A confused look crossed his face, then I told him we were going to play in the snow! He smiled, “No, mommy… no?” “Yes dear,” I replied, “It is snow.” Your very first snow!


The flakes were thick and clean -- a sharper white than any of my fresh linens. A mantle of white covered the streets in rare silence. The birds retreated in unison, only silence and thick flakes remained; the cats ran too and fro; the dog ran down the vacant street leaving white prints behind; Drew quietly pushed his broken shopping cart down the street.

“This is the day that the Lord has made…” I thought as Drew and I threw snowballs towards one another. The Lord sent snow to leave smiles on our faces and gladness in our hearts. I reverted back to childhood, eager to make snow angels and drink hot cocoa. Drew, content to push around trains in a broken shopping cart thought I was insane laying in the grass flapping my arms. We laughed! He screamed “no… no… mommy, its no.” “cold, Mommy it cold!” I smiled, Drew smiled a childish grin. We sat together, smiling, I took pictures of our extraordinary day, we sang “Let It Snow,” and waited for our hands to go numb; then retreated inside for hot cocoa – A Williams tradition.


Where Do You Find Joy?
What joy can you find in today? I find that joy is found in the simple, mundane events of life; they are everywhere just waiting for you to take notice. If you wait on joy you may never find it, but if you look for her she will reveal herself everywhere! If you get stuck, start by counting your blessings, you will instantly feel joy embrace your soul.




Activity for This Week
Today reminisce about times when you felt most joyful. What made you full of joy? Then walk through your day today looking for ways to instill that same joy in your circumstances. This week when you meet with your M & M, talk about what it means to live with joy.