Good News...Great JOY

Though it feels nothing like Christmas, due to a random Kentucky heat wave, I've been full of holiday spirit for days.

We've had our windows open and fans blowing, but I've lingered beneath the tree, resting in the glow of the lights and pondering on the magic of the season.  It's been a beautiful weekend and I just wanted to savor Christmas a bit more.

Life moves so quickly, children grow, parents age.  The older I get the more I find myself dwelling on the passing of time.

We kicked off the festivities on Friday with our annual craft day.  This marks our sixth year of spending the day with our kids focused more on the presence of each other than presents under the tree.  From toddler to teen, they each look forward to the day.

My baby was such a help this year, from set up to clean up and all the places in between.  He led our first craft, his idea, making hot chocolate spoons.  Several weeks back, I'd asked him about his favorite Christmas memories and craft day was among them.  I would guess it's a favorite memory among all the kiddos.

Although my body ached from head to toe by the end, my heart was full from the memories we made.  
Christmas Eve was packed with our typical traditions from beginning to end, though with a working teen we needed to jam a lot into a little time slot.

He was a trooper though, waking early on the weekend to have appetizers for breakfast.  We managed to squeeze in a holiday movie,a long game of dominoes, a visit from Santa and even a nap.

Thankfully, Noah got out of work early enough to go with us for our favorite, fairly new to us tradition of attending the candlelight service at our church.  In fact, that service is what inspired the title of this post and has me feeling well within my soul.

Preparing my heart, I began to lift up prayers of thanksgiving for all that God has done for us this year.  And suddenly, the pity party I had in my last post seemed very petty.

Life is going to have hills and valleys but we can't lose sight of God's love for us when we're in a lull or a pit.  That's exactly what the enemy wants.  In fact, it is in those trying times His love is never more present.  And truly, the health hiccups of 2016 are nothing compared to what we've already endured and survived.

In the quiet, simple service my heart swelled with remembrance of His many blessings.

Darkness will never cease trying to stop us from shining.  But light always overcomes.  As our church began to glow in increasing brightness, one candle after another, it was a visible reminder of the difference we can make in this gloomy world.  We must keep sharing the light.



That light, pure JOY, carried with me into the birthday of our Savior.  It is my prayer that Christmas will remain in my heart throughout the new year.  And also my prayer for you.

The best "gift" under our tree

Faithful Friday: Be Contagious

So, I've suffered from the ick going around this week.  I'm fairly certain it is thanks to my co-workers, as two different strains of icky have swiped through the majority of us in the office.  Like dominoes, we've fallen one by one.  And as such, I've shared the wealth with most of my family at home.  Tina, our lucky girl with super immunity, is the only one I know who has escaped the path of nasal destruction.

Sickness isn't something I ever want to share with someone and I do my best to both avoid giving and receiving this unwelcome gift.  Sanitizers -from industrial size pumps to mini travel size- can usually be found within hands reach.  I wash my hands obsessively.  Vitamin C is ingested in super doses at the first hint of illness.  Fogs of Lysol are sprayed in a protective bubble around or behind me.  Yet, without fail, I normally will contract whatever it is anyway.

This morning, on the way to work and listening to K-LOVE, they shared a story about 9 things you didn't know were contagious.  Of course my mind went to the worst...

But #6 made me smile.  In fact, it was the only positive one on the list!

6. Joy. It turns out it isn't even necessary to have direct contact with someone (or their pheromones!)
 for their feelings to rub off on you. A study published in 2013 with the Public Library of Science's publication, 
PLoS ONE, found that

people can catch another person's happiness

by watching someone else watching the joyful person.

"Our emotions can quickly and subtly be transmitted to others, even if it's unintentional,"

says Guillaume Dezecache, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland.

And they can make a big impact.

And I thought...hey, that is one thing I do want to be contagious with!

What better thing to spread around than JOY.

So go ahead....Go out and spread some today!

 "For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother."  Philemon 1:7  (HCSB)

 

Mr. Can Man

Have you ever smiled at a stranger and wondered what impact it might have?  Waved at someone you didn't know, just because, or hoping to brighten their day?  Myself I'm more of a smiler than a waver, unless it is in response.  I'll wave back but I don't know that I've ever waved first to a stranger.  And then, maybe I have but never thought much about it.

I shared a brief encounter with a sweet elderly man today on my drive for work.  It was such a chance meeting, as I was on an unfamiliar road and certainly not one I'd planned today.  His interaction with me however instantly lifted my spirits and brought me immense joy.

Heading to a nearby city via the parkway, I noticed a wreck stretched across both lanes ahead of me.  Being from a family of firefighters, it looked like a lengthy wait, so I took the exit which luckily was right before the stop.  A mixture of gut, my smart phone, and a quick call to hubby led me down a winding, two lane road. 

About ten minutes in, I was already glad for the choice, as instead of the standard scenery I'm used to, it was a change of pace.  Quaint houses, rolling hills, and cattails tall as trees greeted me with each passing mile.  At one point, I even stopped my car to capture a picture of the breathtaking landscape.  My IPhone couldn't do it justice.  For as far as my eyes could see it was just this span of fields.  I loved how the rows of power lines interrupted the flow, pole by pole by pole.  Again, my camera couldn't capture it - as no equipment will ever compare to the beauty our eyes can see, but I wanted to share.

A few miles later I noticed a truck off the side of the road, and to the right, that sweet old man.  He glanced up and instantly smiled, sending me a "Grandpa hug" right through my windshield.  His frail arm raised to wave, I waved back happily and almost giggling.  Immediately I was reminded of my Grandpa and how he too walked the sides of roads in search of aluminum cans.  The rest of my drive was filled with tender memories of my Grandpa, who I love and miss dearly.

I'm sure that man probably acknowledges every vehicle that passes him along his route but I'm sure glad he smiled at me today.  I sent him prayers for safety in return with hopes that his day would also be blessed because he surely blessed mine.

Joy is not truly Joy, unless it is shared.

Birds of a Feather

One of the things my Grandmother passed down to me is a love for bird watching.  I remember sitting at the kitchen table with her as she'd point out her favorite ones.  Grandma knew what was out there as without even turning around, she could tell by their song or squawking.  She'd smile the most at male cardinals and talk to them from the window.  Almost if in response, they would puff out their chests proudly or ruffle their feathers before flying away.

Though you could've thrown a rock at the many birdhouses Grandpa put up and kept filled for her, she often had binoculars and even a bird book nearby.  Sometimes the cousins would vie would space at the window and argue over got to hold the book and research the types.  I can still recall the very large and strange bird that arrived one morning, much to our surprise.  I don't remember what type it was but we found it in the book and ran to tell her.  Of course it was gone by the time she made it, and I don't think she really ever believed us as it wasn't a bird for our area, but I will always know.

There are many other bird stories I could share, from her breeding her own parakeets and the friendly "Hoppy" I would take from the hatch to keep as a pet for years to come.  Or, the time she rescued an eagle she found while fishing one day and how she nursed it back to health.  Or, the many other special memories I hold and treasure from our times together watching or talking about birds. 

This morning, as I was enjoying the deck with an early morning visit from my parents, Mom mentioned our bird houses.  Tina excitedly ran to check the feeders, as she's found filling them fun in her stay with us.  And Tim and I often spend time watching the world awake or fade into slumber while bird watching.  Through the years Noah's made dozens of feeders or houses for our birds.  It made my heart smile, as I realized the joy Grandma passed to me was also shared by so many others.

"A joy shared is a joy made double."