Joy

It’s been hard to find Joy this past week but I’ve been trying. I’ve been reminding myself that it’s at time’s like these that we need Christmas and simple joys the most. To show us that there is still good in the world.

So here are 9 things that have brought me Joy this past week

1). The sound of Jack singing Christmas Carols. I love these songs and it thrills my heart when he sings “Holly Jolly Christmas” or his personal favorite “Jingle Bell Rock”. Whenever we are in the car he says, “A Jingle Bell Rock” over and over till I put it on. Then once it’s blasting through the speakers he tells me, “Mama dance”. And I do a little driving dance and smile.

2). On Saturday my friends son was so excited to show me his Elf. He sweetly said, “Aunt Jul (yes he calls me Aunt and I just love it) come see what my Elf did this morning”. He then proceeded to open his cup cabinet and show me his Elf hiding in an upside down cup. “His name is Chippy and I don’t know how he got in there”. His innocence and excitement warmed my heart.

3). The old man behind me in line at Michaels this morning who couldn’t resist telling me that he had become a great grandfather. The excitement on his face and the smile it brought him when I congradulated him made my morning.

4). When Jack decided to watch Rudolph the other day and would only do so if all his Mickey’s were with him.

5). Saturday evening walking home from my neighbors house with a glass of wine in my solo cup and looking at the Christmas lights and then watching Love Actually with my friend reminded me of how blessed I am to live in this beautiful new neighborhood and how lucky I am to have friends close by. I’ve watched Love Actually twice in the past week and these are the words I keep coming back to,

“General opinion is starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends…If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion…love actually is all around”.

6). #26acts. It really made me happy to hear that people are doing random acts of kindness in memory of the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary. Just knowing that there are people out there who are doing this made me happy and made me think about doing a few myself.

7). My husband and I putting together Jack’s christmas present while watching Elf. We drank hot chocolate and sat by the fireplace and he did all of the building and stickering of the toy which made it just a little bit nicer.

8). Jackson has been interested in our manger that sits in the kitchen. He points to the baby and I say, “that’s the baby Jesus” and he replies, “baby cheesus”. I just love it.

9). Jackson bring me joy not just during the holidays but everyday. Lately he has an opinion on everything from what shirt he wears to what he eats for dinner. His smile, his laughter and his little finger wrapped around mine bring me more joy than I had ever thought possible. I can’t wait till Christmas morning when our family sits around the tree together and share in the joy of this holiday season.

Merry Christmas to all of you who read my blog. You bring me a bit of Joy with your comments and visits to my page. I hope that you enjoy your holiday celebrations and that you find joy in these coming days and in the New Year.