The JOY of Surprises

I love the unexpected.  I never want to be told how a movie ends or what someone is getting me for my birthday.  Please, let me be surprised!  When I was pregnant with our child, we did not find out what we were having ahead of time.  Some people thought we were crazy, but I will never forget that moment when the nurse said to me, "What do you think it is, a boy or a girl?"  And after 9 months of expectation, we finally met our child in person.  The excitement of discovering that we had a son was half the fun!
I've been fortunate to have a lot of great surprises in my life.  I've had a number of surprise birthday parties, a surprise engagment party, a surprise house-warming party... but not all surprises have to be on such a grand scale.  My neighbor showing up at the door with tomatos, an unexpected check arriving in the mail, my husband coming home for a few minutes between jobs: these bring joy into my day.  Life is dull when you know everything ahead of time.

The JOY of Finding What You Are Looking For

Garage sales can either be a waste of time or a stroke of luck.  You just never really know until you take a chance with one.  I decided that I wanted to get my little one a certain toy, but I was hoping to find a good used one instead of paying retail price at a store.  I figured I had two options:  I could try the thrift stores or I could check out garage sales.
So, I spent some time following garage sales signs today.  Most of the locations I just drove by, realizing by the look of things that they didn't have what I wanted.  I was on my way home, figuring I should call it a day, when I saw another garage sale sign.  I decided to take the few extra minutes to see what they had.  My efforts paid off.  And the best part, not only was it the price I was hoping to pay, but it was also still in the box, unused!

The JOY of Bedtime

One of my absolute favorite parts of the day is crawling into bed.  Sleep is vital to me.  Due to health issues, I can't function without proper rest; so, when I go to bed each night, it is with great longing for sweet sleep.  My comfy bed feels wonderfully welcoming as I lie down.  Finally, I can completely relax.  No more diapers, no more dishes: I have survived another day. 

The JOY of Comfort Food

Let's face it.  When you've been babysitting 24/7 for a few days, JOY tends to be found in a form of "escape."  Like the moist, cinnamon-y zucchini bread of which I found a few slices on a shelf in the pantry.  The best part is, the kids don't seem to remember that it ever existed.  So, after they're in bed, I sit at the computer and enjoy little "comfort food" before bed.

The JOY of Tears

Emotion building inside needs an outlet.  At times yelling, or even just talking, will suffice.  But at other times there is no feeling more joyful than tears spilling from the corners of the eyes.  Crying is a powerful release.  It is a moment of surrender, saying you give up, you don't have control any longer.  For some this moment comes very quickly, at the drop of a hat.  For others that surrender is kept in check for years, until they reach a breaking point.  But no matter when it comes, what a sweet sensation of emptying the soul.

The JOY of Neighbors

We live in a society that is moving further away from "community" as each decade passes.  Most people don't really know their neighbors anymore.  I can't say that I'm great about initiating these "neighborly" relationships.  I tend to feel intimidated by the idea of introducing myself to someone new.  But, of course, over time you bump into your neighbors and have a chance to say "hi."  For many, the relationship never progresses past this acquaintance stage.
We've lived in our current location for 18 months now.  Last summer we began to interact some with one of the couples on our street.  They have chosen to really reach out to us and make us feel welcome.  They are always looking for ways to help.  The husband even mows our yard at times, without us even knowing that he's going to do it.  We've been so appreciative of their generosity. 
Today our generous neighbors kept our little one while I went to have a routine test done.  Since the test was an x-ray, I wasn't going to be able to take him with me.  Situations like this often cause a lot of stress if you don't have family in close proximity.  Having neighbors that you can trust and rely on is a true joy.

The JOY of Choices

As Americans, we don't usually realize just how priveleged we really are.  Our lives are filled with choices.  We can choose from an entire aisle of breakfast cereals.  We can choose from hundreds of television channels. We can choose from thousands of colleges.  We can choose whatever career we desire.  We can choose whom to marry. We live this life of choices taking all of it for granted.
Today I chose from an entire refrigerator of food while millions were grateful to have one or two items to eat.  Today we chose to drive my car, not my husband's, while millions walked for miles to reach their destinations.  Today I chose two books from thousands at the library, while millions probably don't even know how to read.  Today I chose to watch a video and then later listen to the radio while millions don't even have electricity.  I could obviously go on and on.
Sometimes I think instead of being joyful for all our choices, we let the choices make our lives too complicated to experience the joy.

The JOY of Sound

Often one feels most grateful for peace and quiet, but today I heard a sound that made me stop and consider how wonderfully joyful some noises really are.  As I was in the kitchen preparing dinner, the smacking of my husband's kisses on my son's face reached my ears.  My 10 month old's rapturous giggles filled the air.  That was when I began thinking....
Some of the most joyful sounds in the world:
my husband's car as he arrives home from work
or the keys in the lock as he comes in the door
my son opening the door of his room and "calling out" for someone to come get him
the words da-da on my son's lips
hot water running into the tub
the soft breathing of by sleeping child

The JOY of Imagination

Life would be pretty boring without imagination.  Everything would be literal.  We would have no figurative language, no sarcasm, no creativity.  After all, you have to imagine to create.  I guess if God hadn't given us imaginations, we'd have a hard time believing in Him.
Today I was able to take some kids on an imaginary journey.  Kindergarten and first graders have the best imaginations.  Watching them "come along" with me as I described the desert and our imaginary ride into the city on a bumpy road (all of us bouncing up and down the whole time) while being crammed into a small van with no air conditioning was truly joyful.  My only regret is that I didn't have enough eyes to watch each one of their reactions individually.  Those are images I would love to have stamped into my brain.  Yes, it is a joy to have an imagination.

The JOY of Creativity

Made in the image of THE CREATOR, the MASTER CRAFTSMAN, the POTTER,  we, too, are creative beings.  In fact, we were designed to create.  Just look at the history of the world.  Civilization after civilization has left behind evidence of man's creativity.  This creative nature may vary from individual to individual, but we all have to ability to create, and I would go as far as to say, the need to create.  Creativity provides us with a sort of "release."  Energy wells up inside of us, and when we express our creativity, we allow that energy to flow freely.  With this release comes a sense of purpose.
Some people think that because they are not gifted artistically, they are not creative.  Creativity, however, can be found in rearranging the furniture in your living room, developing a new play for the soccer team, finding a new way to solve a math equation or baking cookies, among millions of other activities ranging from the extra-ordinary to the everyday.
Today I was working on a presentation that I'll be giving tomorrow evening.  I already had my plans for presenting to older children but needed to modify it for the younger children.  An idea popped into my head, and I began to think more and more creatively until I had a clear vision of what would work.  Looking back on the changes I made, I realized that if I had just simplified the lesson instead of challenging myself to find a different approach, I would have cheated myself and those little children of the joy of creativity.

"The Winter is Cold, is Cold"

The winter is cold, is cold.
All's spent in keeping warm.
Has joy been frozen, too?
I blow upon my hands
Stiff from the biting wind.
My heart beats slow, beats slow.
What has become of joy?

If joy's gone from my heart
Then it is closed to you
Who made it, gave it life.
If I protect myself
I'm hiding, Lord, from you.
How we defend ourselves
In ancient suits of mail!

Protected from the sword,
Shrinking from the wound,
We look for happiness,
Small, safety-seeking, dulled,
Selfish, exclusive, in-turned.
Elusive, evasive, peace comes
Only when it's not sought.

Help me forget the cold
That grips the grasping world.
Let me stretch out my hands
To purifying fire,
Clutching fingers uncurled.
Look!  Here is the melting joy.
My heart beats once again!
                
                      Madeleine L'Engle

The JOY of "Home"

The word home can be defined in numerous ways.  Some think of home as a location, either a building, a city or maybe a country or state.  But for some people, there is no attachment to location because they've never been able to form that attachment.  Maybe they've lived in way too many places over a short period of time.  Or, maybe they once had formed an attachment to a location, but that attachment has long been forgotten as changes came later in their lives.

I can't really say I have a strong sense of "home" as a location.  I did as a teenager, but my parents moved when I was a young adult, so that attachment dissolved, and since then, my life has been pretty transient.  The longest I've lived in one location is 5 years.

But.... "home" is still possible.  Yes, I do now have a sense of  "home" with my own little family.  And when I go to my parents', even though they have only been in their current place for less than a year and I've never lived there with them, I still experience "home" because I still belong.

I was able to spend a few hours "home" with my parents today, doing the things I do when I'm with them: playing games and eating.  The conversations don't really matter and the games we play don't really matter.  What matters is being together.

The JOY of Knowing Someone's Heart

We all know people can be a source of joy or a source of despair.  Relationships are shakey.  They constantly evolve.  They are as stable as quick sand.  One moment a conversation is flowing smoothly and the next it explodes into emotional chaos.  People are not constant; only God Almighty is unchanging.  Today I found myself rejoicing that I know the true character of my husband.  No matter how emotionally crazy our interactions may become, I know the good intentions he has.  I can have hope for our marriage because I believe in his good intentions; therefore, I can find joy, even when we have our misunderstandings.  I'm thankful that today I was able to look back on my circumstances and take joy in them.