Finding Joy in the Journey: Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve at home at the Wilmington UMC..didn't seem to be a good picture night!
I have pictures of the candlelight portion of the evening but somehoe they didn't come out!

Finding the joy in my journey...

There was a moment a couple of years ago that in just seconds changed my outlook, I guess you could call it my “ah ha” moment.

I have been a pretty positive person for quite a while. It’s easier to be positive when you learn to walk by faith and realize that God is ordering your steps (when you let him).
When you close him out or forget that faith, the worry starts and the complaints begin to flow… but back to that moment because although inconsequential, it was so clarifying.

Dax was little, maybe 10 or 11 months, he never sat still (hasn’t changed much!), he was into everything all the time, and I’m sure I’d had words with Lily, but honestly I don’t remember what got me to that moment, just that the day had been bad. Dax was in the bathtub, I was sitting on the toilet (lid down, thank you!) and he started to splash...not just a little splash but the kind of splashing I imagine comes before a tidal wave or a hurricane. I put my head in my hands and began to cry. At that moment, Sophie, our dog nudged open the bathroom door and started to lick the water off the side of the tub, then the floor. Dax started to giggle, and splash more…I started to laugh through the tears.

I told myself to “suck it up” (a term of endearment I’m sure will echo through my children’s thoughts as they fondly think of their mother's common phrases).

I lifted my eyes and my hands upwards and simply said, “thank you Lord for the dog that licks up the splashes, and for the little boy who makes them”.

From that moment on I made the conscious choice to choose joy.

I am no Pollyanna, I do my share of complaining. I know that everyday there is sadness, everyday there are struggles. As time passes (too quickly!) more and more I realize that the only pot of joy at the end of this journey is the one in heaven, but joys on this worldly journey are all around us. Even in the middle of the busyness and the sadness, there is laughter, the smile of a child, a phone call, or a friend’s hug. If we take the time to see, hear, smell, taste, & feel all that God has laid on our path the ride can be an incredibly joyous one.

So as life is spinning around me, there are moments I may find myself wanting to sit and cry, but at the end of each day I want to see the joys, revel in the praises, and take these memories with me. When I started this it was just for me, but as it continued I felt I needed to share…so, if you've joined my journey, enjoy the pictures, feel free to find joy in my joys, but most importantly, each time you stop in, take a minute to revel in the joy on your own journey.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Christmas Eve

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