"Thank You!"

Today I was working the lunch shift at Pizzology. Overall, it was a pretty typical day at work. People came in, ate, and then left. Nothing very extraordinary happened. One family, however, absolutely knocked me off my feet. They were a family of 5. The mother had a very heavy accent and a beautiful necklace. The kids (3 young girls and a baby) were all completely adorable. The girls looked so alike even though they were all different ages. They each had matching hair-bows and boots. I brought them crayons to color with while they waited for their lunch and the response i got was amazing. Their eyes widened and they all gasped in awe at the crayons. Then they chorused 'thank you! thank you! thank you!' over and over. They were all smiles and gratitude. It was very cute. It made me think, though. Why aren't more people like that? Why can't we all be thankful and gracious for little things like crayons to draw with at a restaurant? Why don't more people find joy in little things rather than waiting around for the big things to happen? That's what I'm really trying to work on. Finding joy in little things. Children have such a wonderful perspective. They aren't judgmental and are rarely rude. These girls in particular were extremely well-behaved and pleasant to be around. I'm so glad I got to encounter this family today. Those little girls made me realize that I take things for granted and they helped put a joyful smile on my face for the rest of my shift today. 

joy defined

A few minutes ago, I was checking facebook. One of my fellow Camp Tecumseh fanatics had posted a very inspirational quote in a group. 

"Joy is not the ABSENCE of pain, but the PRESENCE of love."

She had heard this said at a sermon on Christmas Eve. I think that joy is a very important aspect of Christmas. We all feel it as the exciting holiday approaches and we can truly revel in it as we reflect on the birth of Jesus. I think it is very important for us to remember that bringing about love rather than attempting to rid the world of pain is the most effective way to instill joy in our lives.

Merry Christmas!

"sing number 15!"

Tonight I went christmas caroling with a smallish group of people from Our Lady of Mount Carmel. We sang to lovely people in a retirement home in Indianapolis and it was a blast! The many songs consisted of Silent Night, we wish you a merry christmas, rudolph the red-nosed reindeer (the playful echoing was encouraged here) and many others. My favorite part was seeing the pure joy shine through on the faces of the people we sang for. Their gratitude was so sincere and heart-warming. A close second to this touching experience was listening to the younger kids beg after every song for 'number 15!!!!!!', which was the 12 days of christmas. They ALL wanted to sing that one especially, so finally we did. It was worth it and was filled with lots of laughter between verses.

Some of my favorite people caroled with me- 

Whitney, Greg, Dylan, Kristina, and Paige

After caroling we went to Don Pablos for dinner. It was there that I got to know 9-year-old Anthony a little better. Anthony was full of laughter and was so much fun to be around. He was a total goof-ball and had all of us smiling the entire meal. During caroling, he was an expert at ringing bells to the songs. During dinner, he created some tortilla artwork. . . 

This night was filled with joyful moments. Anthony spread joy through his goofiness and the elderly at the retirement home spread joy through their thankfulness. It really feels like Christmas now.

beginnings

I love fresh starts. A new school year. The first day of summer camp at Tecumseh. New friends. New projects and assignments. New coaches and teachers. New jobs. New opportunities. New mornings. Each day is such a blessing and gift from God. I'm so grateful that every morning I can wake up and know that I can start over. I get another chance to serve others-- another chance to praise God! I get another chance to do something meaningful and make a difference. 

"You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. 

You must be good for something. 

You must contribute good to the world."
-Gordon B. Hinckley

I want to contribute good to this world. I want to be a joy-spreader and a joy-finder. I want to discover happiness amidst sadness and then help others to do the same. I want other people to see God's love in me and feel inspired to do good and spread joy themselves. My goal over the next year, though, is to find joy. I want to seek it out in every moment.

 This blog is a new beginning. I want to record all of my encounters with joy. I want to prove that life is full of these encounters and that maybe sometimes we just don't look hard enough.