Joyfull Living

Hello November!  Welcome cooler weather, cute and cozy sweaters, autumn scented candles, open windows, fall baking and pumpkin everything! I LOVE fall! The beginning of November is an exciting time as the beauty of fall is here but the rush and stress of the holidays are still at a distance.  Of course we know that November means that Thanksgiving is close! It usually means gathering with friends and family to enjoy a meal and fellowship together.  It sounds so cozy and wonderful doesn't it?  But, in real life, families may be a bit more complicated!  Sometimes spending hours on end with family turns cozy into confined. Relaxed gatherings become stressful as conversation lulls and we begin to wonder, what are we going to do now? Age differences, various seasons of life and just a general difference in perspective can cause communication barriers.  How do we prepare for those awkward Thanksgiving home moments?  It can begin with you! The...

During a morning run last week, the radio program I was listening to continually gave warnings about a coming storm.  Hurricane Michael was expected to hit that day. The announcer shared "everyone in our listening area will be affected". It is a fact that every surrounding county is under either a hurricane or tropical storm warning. There WILL be rain and wind for all, but some may face catastrophic conditions. Just days ago, Hurricane Michael was a forming group of clouds and rain that quickly grew into a catastrophic weather system. In 24 hours, it will be completely gone from our area leaving only the aftermath behind.  Although our immediate area was spared from extreme damage, our neighbors in the panhandle of Florida are facing devastation that will take much time to rebuild from. Storms are a fact of life, it is not a matter of if, it is more of a 'when' they will roll through. They are a certainty and they will come. They can develop suddenly or come with...

September is one of my favorite months of the year. It is my birthday month and usually marks the beginning of fall.  With the intense heat down here in the south, fall may not bring cool weather, but it assures us that fall and cooler weather are coming!   This year, summer has held on and on. The temperature lows are still in the 70's with hot and humid weeks on end of 90+ high temps. But, I know fall, cooler weather and pumpkin everything is coming soon. But the month of September did bring much joy in other areas.  My sweet hubby and I both have September birthdays, just one day a part. We celebrated with a birthday dinner and were surprised by our oldest son who lives away, but came for the weekend to celebrate with us.  Plus this year, I hit the big 5 0.  And it wasn't too bad!! I thought turning 50 would be a good time to experiment with a new hobby and decided to look into and try chalk painting. My project was taking a few wood t...

Today is September 11, which is a very emotional day for our country. This is a day where as a country, we pause and remember the horrific day our country was attacked. We remember the devastation, the loss of life, mourning and grief of so many families.  The pictures of the attacks still play in our minds when we remember this day, along with our feelings of helplessness and unbelief.  On this anniversary of 9/11, the theme rings out "We will never forget".  This day is forever etched in the heart of America.  We are bound together by our memories and the strength shown through the selfless acts of unity.  In our family, September 11 is also a day we will never forget. It was a Sunday and as a family we went to church, enjoyed the afternoon together and then went in different directions for the evening. Our middle son Josh went to a get together at a friends house. My husband went to church services at our home church while I went to participate i...

Have you ever thought how many things we do out of habit?  We begin our day with probably the same routine each day and never think about the steps.  The beginnings of the day are done in a certain order and done day after day become consistent.  All through the day and our routines of life, we do things so automatically that we quickly become consistent - without even trying! As one who loves to run, time is made in my schedule for running several times a week.  Currently, I run a route at the same time in the morning. Several cars daily pass me as they are probably going the same place at the same time each day. I know nothing about the drivers, but can label them as 'the girl in the white honda' or the 'grey ford truck guy' and almost pinpoint the time they pass me. After several weeks, these drivers give me a hearty and friendly wave. I am now a familiar sight for them. Even though we don't know each other, our consistency connects us.  The trai...

I'm not trying to be a "Debbie Downer", but it is almost Monday!  It is true that the weekend is on the way out, but look - a new week is on the way in!   Let's learn to make friends with Monday. There is something so fresh and new about the beginning of the week. Last week is gone, lessons learned can be made right, mistakes made are in the past with a clean slate ahead. It's a do-over if we will embrace it. A good devotion, Scripture or promise from God can set the tone for the week. It can put in our heart an eternal perspective, an attitude that looks beyond our circumstances to trust and faith in God who loves us and has great plans for our life.  YOU MATTER - You make a difference!   This Sunday as I walked the halls of the church I've attended for 20+ years, there was such a familiarity, which although comfortable, often puts me in auto mode. Speak to this person, answer this question, sing the familiar song, hear the Scripture, so m...

The road we live on is a small, rural road with a few twists and turns. The country road is lined with telephone poles which are very close to the road. There is one spot in the road where the road take a shift and a telephone pole is right there, very close to the road.  That shift could easily take you by surprise and allow the vehicle to drift into the pole. I have a 16 year old new driver and am aware of things like this!  But, someone else is very aware of the danger of this portion of the road and put some reflective tape on the pole which alerts drivers at night and makes them aware of the pole. As a mother, I am thankful for the person who did this.  They saw a need and spent time and effort to meet that need. There are numerous needs all around us. Many that we can do nothing about. But what about the ones that we can?  It doesn't need to be a huge need, just one that we become aware of.  Proverbs 3 tells us "Do not withhold good from those t...