Soup from a friend, seeing a picture of my mom’s smiling face and knowing she had family visitors today, warm days in January, praying for a friend and their family, emails from friends who care….even though I’m sick and not very energetic or enthused, there is still joy. 

I watched the Innaugural events most of today. I found myself crying a lot, not from gladness. It just welled up from my spirit. I think it would’ve been the same if Hillary was the one up there being sworn into the highest office in our land.

 I didn’t feel there was a good choice for this election. I felt cynical and frustrated, like my vote didn’t matter one way or the other. I felt that the lives of “normal people” are so far removed from the “powers that be” and the celebrities, superstars, and wealthy of this world that we may as well give up and just live our lives. Yet , I did research and I did vote what I thought was the lesser of two evils. 

Nonetheless , my spirit was crying today…then, I heard The Spirit speak within me, and I spoke the words right back to Him…”my hope is in You.”  I do not fear. I have joy even in the midst of my doubts and sorrow….because my hope is in Him….my life is in His hands, as are the lives of my friends and family… our eternal purpose rests with His….no matter what happens….

I’m purposely spending my days looking for joy. This is partly for your sake, if you’re reading this, to encourage you to do the same. Yet, it’s also very much for me, to keep me focused on the positive. Knowing that someone might be reading this everyday is keeping me accountable to doing it. 

Yesterday, I was full of joy watching my daughter have a senior picture photo shoot. It was only a half hour or so, in freezing cold wind, but it was so fun. I love watching her smile and seeing her confidence and beauty radiate. 

Today, she’s working on my hair in her lab at school. I put on my purple winter coat to come over to her school, and as I did, I smiled because I love purple and am glad I have a coat this color. I know, that’s simple and maybe silly, nevertheless , it brings me joy. 

I’m finding that joy isn’t elusive if we look for it on purpose, in the middle of the mundane and ordinary, or in the midst of sadness, as well as in the big, heart filling moments like watching your children grow into themselves. Joy is there to be found in all of life. It simply takes an intentional “looking for it on purpose” approach to every day. It’s a matter of choice, and I’ve decided to choose to do this because it’s been changing my perspective for the last couple years as I’ve been more purposeful in this pursuit. I figured doing this blog would increase that perspective change.

It’s like any discipline we choose to practice. Over time and consistent effort, we develop habits and eventually, those actions become second nature. We are changed forever by the literal transformation of our minds. 

So, I’m going to keep chasing after joy wherever and whenever I can find it, big or small, and believe that God is going to use this to change me for the good, to be more the person He meant me to be from the start. 

Yesterday came and went, and I just realized I didn’t post anything here. It’s not because I didn’t have joy yesterday, for sure 😊. I simply passed out on the couch earlier than usual, which I needed. I’ll write more later today, but here’s a hint at some of my joy yesterday….

I think I might have the flu, which is ironic because when I walked into Rite Aid earlier, they were offering flu shots as a special today.  I said, “no thanks, we don’t do flu shots.” 😂 Maybe this isn’t the flu though; I’m just feeling a sore throats coming on again along with throbbing ears and upset stomach. 

So, you may be asking yourself how I’m going to write about joy tonight. There are times that we have to choose joy instead of dwelling on whatever might be dragging us down. This is one of those times. 

I choose to think on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-anything that is excellent or praiseworthy”(Phil 4:8).  God blessed me with some sweet moments of fellowship today as I ate lunch in the university cafeteria where I teach. Then, I had dinner with my bestie so I didn’t have to spend the evening alone. Relationships fill me with joy. 

Some days the joy isn’t as obvious to me. Do you have days like that?  Do you have times when you’ve lost your motivation but have to keep going because life demands it of you?

Today was that type of challenging day for me. I pray extra on days like this, and I turn to friends for help. 

If you find yourself with days like this, it would actually bring me joy to be able to help you find your motivation and move forward again. My greatest joy today came to me when I turned to some friends for help, and one of them immediately responded that they were happy to be on “team Tara”. What deep joy it brings my heart to know I have people in my life who are always there for me. 

Today’s joy came in the form of being able to rest and be at peace, with nothing weighing on my brain or heart. So often, I pressure myself to accomplish and stay on top of all life’s demands. I wrestle with guilt, even on days when I know I simply need to rest a while. 

However, I never resist resting on the Sabbath. God made the Sabbath rest for us , because He knew we needed it. I felt the joy of God’s provision today through resting, and it was good. 

Thank you Abba Father for your goodness to me. 

Some days are more difficult than others. Of course , you know that; every human knows this is true. Today was full of highs but was also trying. However, the joy outweighed the frustrations and the sorrows. 

Two great joys impacted me today. One was running into friends in the community that we hadn’t seen in a while, being embraced and captured into conversations. Deep relationships typically bring me deep joy. I’m talking about the kind that exist far beneath the surface of life; the kind of friendships that never require talking about the surface stuff, but instead, the conversation immediately goes to the heart. These kinds of relationships fuel me in so many ways. 

My second great joy today came from observing two of my “kids”(who are actually young adults) taking the initiative to look after their little cousins.  I smiled and my heart was very glad as I watched them play together, help them with ordering at the restaurant, get them to take their showers, and more.  How good it is for a parent to see their child take on some of the responsibilities of being an adult and of leading the younger members of our extended family. 

Yes, today had some rough spots and I’m pretty exhausted tonight, but overall , the balance of the scale measuring today has tipped to joy. 

The “Littles” came for the weekend (aka 3 of my great nieces). They are full of energy and life and questions. Their personalities burst forth in uniqueness. They are inquisitive and loving, and they are a joy for me, even though being around children for extended periods of time stretches me to my limits of patience and creativity. I’m thankful for these precious girls and happy they came to visit. 

A message from an old friend; getting the Christmas decorations put away; receiving a little bracelet I’d ordered for myself to remind myself to breathe; my sons getting bills paid, classes in order, and settled into their routines….all this brought me joy today. Yet, the greatest joy I had today was teaching. 

It was the first day of my courses today, since weather cancelled them Tuesday. It was so good to be back in the classroom, to meet new students, and to feel comfortable with the material, excited to share it with my class. I feel more alive when I’m teaching, more like I’m fulfilling my purpose and calling. 

God has been gracious to give me opportunities to teach these last fifteen years. I’m praying that He will continue to make a way for me to be able to teach as a profession, in one form or another.