Joy

It is another new day and the sun is shining! It is the start of another day on my journey. I have no idea what lies ahead of me today but as each morning, I try to find something to be thankful for. I sit here and pray for my family and friends who are hustling about trying to get ready for work, and get their kids off to school or to daycare. My life has changed a lot since moving to the Northwoods of Wisconsin. It is almost as if we have stepped back in time and everything has slowed down. I don't always like the circumstances ...I don't always like the journey I am on...I don't always like the path I chose; but I've journeyed too far to turn back. I know that there is a difference between happiness and true joy because I experience it. There are many days when I am not particularly happy but on the inside I have joy. I have found that true joy comes when I take my eyes off of my own circumstances and look beyond myself to see who I can be a blessing to. There is always someone who needs something! Maybe all I can give is an encouraging word but it is something. Maybe all I can give is a smile or a hug. We create our own happiness. We shouldn't expect other people to make us happy! If you have inner joy then it will help you have the happiness as well. A long time ago I learned the acronym for JOY: Jesus, Others, Yourself. Really if you try this and put it into practice you will find that it works! If I first seek His help then I want to care about others and when I care about others I find I am thinking about myself last. "This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."~ George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)