oh, joy.

Today is Thursday. I usually don't like Thursdays because that means I start the stretch of work T,F,S Sunday and Monday I get a break then jump right back into working night shifts for Tuesday and Wednesday. I have been talking/ discussing a couple of things with my hubby. One being finding JOY in everything that we do. I think that I do not do this nearly as much as I should.

Now and then it is good to pause in our pursuit of Joy and just be Joyful.

I find tons of joy in my kids, they are always bringing a smile to my face and I love to make them laugh. But am I bringing joy to other things that I HAVE to do, like work? I usually complain about having to work...but it's what pays the bills and I only have to work 5 nights out of 14. There are so many reasons why I hate going in and pulling the night shift, but there are so many other reasons why I STILL work even though I may not love it. I'm going to try to focus on the reasons why I am still working and not the reasons why I don't want to. This just might help me find some JOY.

I really think in my life I have to make time to appreciate the small things. Especially since I don't get to spend every day with my kids due to work. I really liked the previous quote about being JOYFUL now instead of always pursuing JOY. I always think life will get better when Brad is done, or when I work less. The only reason why I can't have joy now is because of ME. So, I have to remind myself to remember the small things. Like instead of hurrying my kids home from a bike ride, I should take the time to enjoy the sunshine on my kids hair, the soft breeze and the time outside WITH my kids. JOY, for me, comes in the littlest packages...and to tell you the truth, when I look at it that way, I kinda love my life.

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.