This morning I read a post on Faith & Family and am contemplating how to incorporate this word into my daily life for the new year: JOY. I am a pretty much extroverted, happy person so it may seem odd that I would need to conscientously choose JOY. But I do. There are so many joy-stealers out there.

Yesterday I was irrirated because I honestly can't even order a Christmas gift for myself (this was to be the BIG one, and every year I seem to put off getting my own gift and thus, hubby feels very guilty when he opens his). It was stealing my joy that I was wasting time looking at this and that, that hubby was wanting me to place the order and I couldn't decide! I finally realized this morning that sometimes materialism, or the seeking of it, robs me of my joy. And I don't feel like giving in to that right now. I'd rather go to Mass and listen to stories and psalms about the One who gives joy.

Now with baby arriving soon, I'm seeing that there are so many pressures and stressful things that can rob me of my joy the joy of Christ this coming week. Just making a grocery list has me stressed out, and forget actually going to the store! My energy level has decreased and my brain just can not wrap around planning meals for next week when I won't be here to even cook them in the first place.  So maybe it'll be more canned soup than usual (which we normally don't buy on a regular basis, would it truly be the end of the world?!).

So in order to honestly practice being more joyful, I must catch myself in that nanosecond before I descend into the negative thinking that takes the joy away in the first place. And that is hard for me to do. I am a sanguine tempermant and sanguines don't seem to pause much. Pregancy seems to help me pause, though, so this week I'll be thinking and reflecting more. And when I'm thinking more and doing less, I start to sense the joy much more... like canned soup when things are stressful...

Comments

[Paula]

My thoughts have been running along the same lines. Nice to read you again!!

[Lisa Cotter]

Hello, I know this is so random, but I facebook friended you to ask a question of you regarding the blog address craftycatholic.wordpress.com, then I realized I could also try to reach you via a comment on your blog. I noticed that you have the address under your blog name, but have not been using it and I wanted to see if you would be willing to give it up, as I am hoping to put together a blog on Catholic crafts with that address. Thanks for your considerations and you can email me now that you have it! Lisa Cotter