Happiness

It's a little hard to concentrate these days.

School is winding down.

Flip-flops and air-conditioning are ON.

I found this poem today and had to share it with you.  Makes me want to sit down and cry a little bit...

Happiness
by Joyce Sutpen

This was when my daughters were just children
playing on the rocky shore of the lake,

their hair in braids, their bright-colored jackets
tied around their waists. It was afternoon,

the shadows falling away, their faces
glowing with light. Whatever we said then

(and it must have been happy; it must have
been hopeful) is lost as I am now lost

from that life I lived. This was when nothing
that I wanted mattered, though all I wanted

was happiness, pure happiness, simple
as strawberries and cream in a saucer,

as curtains floating from a window sill,
as small pairs of shoes arranged in a row.

Your Dream is Too Small

 

I had a dream...once. 

If you've seen the movie Tangled, you know that's a line that starts one of the best show tunes in Disney history.  But this isn't about a cartoon.  This is about you.

What are your dreams?

Seriously.  When you were 10 years old, what were your biggest dreams?  Can you remember?

I remember mine.  I had quite a few.  And they all involved a microphone and a stage. 

I know -- hard to believe, right?

I read this book (pictured above) to my classes today.  It made me want to dream bigger and crazier than ever before. 

Forget fear.  Forget your age. 

Let's go. 

What We've Been Up To

(D on the right in the school program) 

This is really one of my favorite times of year -- the anticipation of summer, winding up the school year -- I love this.  The boys were recently in the school musical, and it was so fun to watch them on the stage.  Gee, guess which boy had the most fun with this activity?  I'll give you a hint:

 He has red hair and brown eyes and talked earlier than any of his siblings.  That's right. 

Mr. First-Born himself, Greg-o.  He really lit it up and had a good time doing it. 

That's my boy!

My parents came for a visit, too.  Praise the Lord for great weather in Ohio so that they could finish planting and come on up for Grandparents' Day! 

Built-in Happiness

A happy girl :)

We are loving the beginnings of warm weather around here -- thunderstorms, sunshine, and that neon-green shade the leaves are in May.  Glorious.

I don't think I'm one of those people whose mood changes with the sun or lack thereof, but I can see how difficult it would be to cultivate inner sunshine when the clouds won't go away. 

Bob Dylan once said that his wife had a "built-in happiness" that never ran out.  He said her happiness never depended on him, and he loved that about her.  I pray my husband can say that about me.  I pray my children can say that about me!  How can I build happiness inside me, a well that never runs dry?

* Hang out with Jesus every day.  I'm a prayer-writer.  I have to have a pen in hand when I pray, or it's not happenin'.  I must go to the source of joy itself if this is going to work.

* Surround myself with positive, encouraging people.  Go away, grumpy.  You are drying up my joy well.

* Remember that moods come and go, but a spirit is built over time.  It's okay to have a bad day.  It's okay to be crabby every once in awhile.  But choose joy and find something to laugh about, for cryin' to Pete.