Joyfull Living

The name of this blog is Joyfull Living deliberately chosen way back when the blog began, it was a busy season of life for our family with growing kids, juggling work, sports, church and relationships. Joyfull Living was chosen as a theme as we made strides to find joy through the mundane minutes of life. Fast forwarding through those years, we continually sought for joy, but the fact is that life can be tough. Crisis, trauma, death and hard times filtered through our lives, just like they do in yours. Today, I'm writing from a different spot in life. One that has endured troublesome times, learned that help, healing and comfort come from the Lord. Currently our country and world are in the throes of the COVID 19 crisis. This has left me 'staying safe at home' with more time on my hands than usual. Knowing this abundance of time had the potential to develop some not so good habits, I became diligent to keep some sort of routine - rising early, exercise, using time ...

Time marches on and it waits for no one. This fact becomes abundantly clear during the season of graduation. Those adorable babies that quickly grew into children and in the midst of long days and short years may now be saying goodbye to their high school years and hello to a new future and adulthood.  If you find yourself in this season of life it can be very emotional. It may be a bittersweet time of embracing the balancing act of reflection on the past as well as a time of accomplishment and great anticipation for the future. As a mom who has experienced this precious time through 3 sons, embrace these days! They are times filled with excitement, parent pride and moments which will be cherished forever. Once this event passes in a family, graduation loses some of the attraction and connection. Graduates may be known to us, but do not have the emotional bonding of family.  It may even be easy to pass this event by.  But, no matter how graduation affects us, it is a wond...

Sundays are special! (Usually) before COVD 19, in our family, Sundays were reserved for church and family. We look forward to serving and worshiping in our local church and then coming home to a nice, sit down Sunday lunch. I've shared before how over 30 years ago when my husband and I were dating, his family introduced me to the blessing of Sunday lunch. After church on Sundays, we would gather at his parents's home where the table would be full of friends, family and delicious food. These were precious times that filled my heart with love, blessing and time to bond and connect with my new family. It stirred my heart to bring this tradition to life in my own home. Through lots of practice, trial and error, Sunday lunch is an established practice in our home. We enjoy the relaxed time to eat a home cooked meal and eagerly look for opportunities to invite others to join us around the table.  Now this idea sounds so appealing and relaxed, but it takes much forethought an...

Guess what? In case you haven't heard, it is Mother's Day week! Many of us are staying away from stores, but even a quick trip for needed supplies demands attention to this special day coming soon. Cards, gifts and flowers are prominently placed. They are so beautiful, brightly colored with flowers and all that loveliness that appeals to us ladies.  Seeing these displays immediately pull our thoughts to our mom. Hopefully, they bring a smile to our heart. Mother's Day can bring a variety of emotions. Every mother is different, as is every life situation, some are wonderful, but some may have some rough edges that still rub us a little raw. Mother's Day for some is a beautiful celebration, others find it a bit bittersweet. Even on such a day as this, emotions can sneak up on us and threaten to cloud the beauty of the day.  My dear mother passed away in 2007. Every day, I miss her terribly, miss her phone calls and her being an active part of my daily life. The painful vo...

Isn't it funny how a topic can take a journey from discussion to action? My son and his friends have been kayaking for a little while. The area we live in has a river that runs nearby and through the years has brought our family many enjoyable hours of walking, swimming and fishing. My husband will bring up the idea of kayaking every now and again, but we have never taken any action toward it. This week, in the mail came a Bass Pro shop sale catalog and guess what was on the front page?  Yep...a kayak...on sale!  As he pondered making a purchase, we decided to test drive a kayak trip with our son and some borrowed kayaks. Saturday came with perfect weather! As we planned our trip down the river excitement brewed for a new experience....until someone mentioned that the river was high. A high river, means a strong current which means danger if a kayak capsized. This would be my first time ever kayaking and I would have my own to maneuver. Fear and worry about the 'what ...