joy is a CHOICE

I often find it ridiculous how people assume that those that share a lot of joyful moments in social media, etc. must a) have it all together/have an easy life, b) be lying through their teeth, or c) suffer from some sort of delusional "my life is fabulous" disease.

To choose to put your best foot forward, even in the midst of extraordinary circumstances and adversity requires courage. Happiness is a form of courage. I love that quote by George Holbrook Jackson.

I'm not talking about never being down. There is so much hurt in this world and at times my heart and mind do go there. Where, you ask? To that place where we wonder why some things are allowed to happen, why good people get hurt, why little children are left motherless and fatherless, why hunger and starvation envelop our world, why leaders betray nations, why people that we love dearly get sick and die, why loved ones hurt us, why, why, why. It is an abyss.

But we cannot stay there or we'll drown. Choosing joy is an everyday task. We must get up in the morning and make a conscious choice to see the beauty right in front of us. To let go of the anger and the hurt. To continue to trust and obey. To look for the sunshine after the rain. To forgive those that have hurt us in order to move on. To try, try again.

God didn't promise us that it would be easy, but He DID promise us that He would be there every step of the way. I hang on to that promise with every part of my being. And so I choose to find JOY in the little everyday moments that thread together to make life...and later relish in those memories.

I am thankful for so much, with these two littles Lance and I have been blessed with, at the top of my list.

Joy is prayer. Joy is strength. Joy is love. Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. ~ Mother Teresa

Comparison is the thief of joy. ~Theodore Roosevelt  Isn't that the truth??!

This one is probably my favorite from all of these bunny pics. Anyone care to guess what they were fascinated by?

Pure . innocent . unadulterated . JOY!

Grace, 7 and Hudson, 4 3/4

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. ~Robert Brault