Purposefully Finding Joy

The girls are back to normal, and my own cold symptoms have just about subsided. No one is more thankful than this weary mama!

The illness thing really gets old quickly. A week of sleepless nights and feeling downright miserable certainly took its toll on my joy reserves, which were already low. I looked back over some of my posts on Joy and realized that sometimes, you do have to look at the snapshot of today... being careful to dwell on the positive things, not the negative. For example, my first thought when I saw this:

"Ugh, why won't you keep your barrette in, and what in the WORLD is so intriguing about my shoes?" Then, I took a closer look at that crazy hair and proud smile of hers, and I caught myself chuckling. She surely is funny. Cute, too.

Then, I hauled an absolute mountain of Little People's laundry to our bed for future folding. First thought:

"My GOODNESS, what child on this EARTH needs so many clothes!?? I ought to just pitch this entire pile..." But then, I paused, noting that this dress was 10 cents at a yard sale... and that outfit was a gift from Grandma... and my Auntie made that blanket for Ellia... and I was grateful to have such an abundance.

And the day just kept getting better. I caught the girls quietly doing this:

... and later on, I agreed to allow snack time to go like this:


(Only by the time she was done, her "tea" had been spilled all over the table.)

(Which was just fine.)