One Little Word : JOY

(**something funky is up with blogger and the words that are underlined with a dot just direct you to another search engine. Tried to get rid of them, but it won't go away)
I love a new year. I love new beginnings. I love getting a fresh new calendar. I love a clean slate.  I love picking a new word. There are so many words that I could have chosen for 2012. The thing to remember is there is not a right or wrong word. It is not for anyone else but me. In past years I have chosen words such as HOPE, FOCUS, FAITH, SIMPLIFY, . . .

At each time in my life, each word has truly been an anchor to hold onto. This year my word is JOY. It is going to be about consciously trying to find JOY in everything I do.

Let's just be honest with each other - LIFE is hard !!! LIFE is challenging !!! And many of times I scratch my head and wonder "What did I sign up for" ? I sometimes think to myself that in my premortal life I must have been super confident and and I stood in line to sign up for every challenge and struggle I could, you know because I could see the big picture back then of how our challenges and trials refine us and help us grow and how strong they make us. So that must have been me thinking I could do it all and take on anything. Now please don't get me wrong, I am stronger and wiser today from each and every lesson I have learned along the path of this journey back to my Heavenly home. But sometimes I think that I may be lacking in the ability of finding "JOY" in journey. So this year I have made the resolve to find more JOY in my life. Daily, hourly, minute by minute. This year is going to be about bringing JOY, finding JOY, sharing JOY and being sure to enJOY every minute. To wake up every day and remember to pray that I can find the JOY in my life and that I can seize the opportunity to bring JOY to lives of those around me.

2012 will be a year of finding JOY in the things that are really important to me. It will be a time to find JOY in the simple tasks of my everyday life and it will be about bringing JOY to those around me no matter the situation. Somehow when you turn things around and you look at it from a perspective of finding JOY in everything you do - it changes things.

"Joy does not simply happen to us. 

We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day."

 - Henri Nouwen