Finding Joy

How do you find Joy on the hard days?  What small things rekindle it in your heart?  I feel like this is something many of my friends and myself have been dealing with this winter.  So I thought I would write out small ways I have been doing this, to remind myself now and sometime in the future when I have yet again forgotten.

First I fill my diffuser with happy oils

I research ideas for my preschool class and try them out with the kiddos or I have quiet time with God and ask him to show me the Joy in my life

 Which I then journal about, or list things to be grateful for or even instagram a picture (little things like hummingbirds at my feeder, sunshine through the window, dreams of my summer garden....)

If that doesn't work its time to join the kids in play.

Phone calls with JoJo

New stretching poses and exercise with O

Building planes from trash with Ferd

And everyone's favorite, ridiculous snap chat faces!

 And last but not least, photo shots with these adorable faces!

What are your go to Joy seekers? Exercise, stretching, chatting with friends a good book? 

My new prayer

Matt and I have been struggling lately with decisions, exhaustion and stress, I decided I needed a new prayer that I could say as my "stop and think before I speak break"...

Dear Lord, give me the wisdom to choose my battles, the strength to make my points be heard, the grace to listen with love and give in with grace, the love to always put my husband and family first in all things.

What do you think, I am going to try and say this whenever an argument is starting, preferably holding Matt's hand. I hope it helps me to remember that I love him always and that there is nothing we cannot get through.

Oh, other great quote I read. Mercy is the willingness to enter into the chaos of others and help. I think that maybe my new motto :)

Happy Mother's Day...

Dear Mom

Its my first mother's day this Sunday and I'm really just feeling blue about it today (of course its the anniversary of your death as well, so its a double whammy day). I was excited about it until we went to Target last week and decided to pick out a card for Grandma Pat. I picked up a card that was in the wrong place and started to read it....it was a daughter to mom card about trying to be live up to you with my own children. Playing with them, sharing with them, caring for them when they hurt, loving them and praying for them as well as you did for me. How can I live up to all this without you here to nudge me when I slack off or get tired? Then I moved onto picking out a Grandma card and life just got too hard...all I ever wanted was to be a mom and in so doing, help you meet your life goal of being a Grandmother. As Orson grows and changes so quickly I miss sharing him with you at every step. He is so perfect and so cute and I know you would love him so, so much. I just want to lay my head in your lap, have you run your fingers through my hair and tell you all about him. Its been two years and so much has changed in all of our lives and yet one thing stays the same, we still miss you.

Enjoy your mother's day, I know that God is throwing a much better party then we can
All my love
Your daughter, now a mom