A state of Joy

I've been wondering for years when I would feel joy.  I'm not talking just happiness, but the pure bliss that comes from unadulturated joy.  I feel snippets of this joy at various times in my life.  When I think back to the moments in my life where I have felt pure joy, it has always been fleeting, and almost--with the exception of the birth of my son, and the day I married Greg--always related to nature.  Like the time that I was on a bike ride with Greg and I got stuck out in the POURING rain.  Or the times that I sat on the beach at Warren Dunes, MI, soaking in the sunshine and running down the big sand dune.  Almost all of the joy that I have felt in my life is when I feel small and I feel the great bigness of God-- and how I am as tiny-- or tinier--as a grain of sand. 

Dictionary.com defines joy as:

"1.the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation: She felt the joy of seeing her son's success.

2.a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated: Her prose style is a pure joy.

3.the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.

4.a state of happiness or felicity."

 

I often think that I would like to feel joy constantly.  But looking at the above definition, it would be nearly impossible to constantly feel joy.  And yet, that is what Christians are called to.  It is one of the fruits of the Spirit.  When our eyes are not focused on ourselves--because we can't possibly create joy within ourselves-- none of us are that exceptionally good or satisfying, nor can we be the cause of keen pleasure or delight constantly, nor will we always feel glad, or festive gaiety.  However, when we focus on Christ, and what he has done for us, it is possible to be joyous.  Which makes me think that if I want more joy in my life, I'd better start thinking about my Creator more often!   

 

 

My Pasta E Fagioli Soup

My son really loves Olive Garden's Pasta E Fagioli soup, so this weekend, I decided I was going to make some soup.  After looking at recipes, and what was available in my pantry and fridge, here's the recipe I created.  It turned out to be super yummy with some zip!

1 cup of chopped onions,
1 cup of carrots shredded
1 diced green pepper

(saute above ingredients with Pam Spray in large cooking pot)

add the following once the green peppers are cooked:

1 can diced tomatoes
1 can northern beans
1 can of black beans

Stir it all up.  Allow above ingredients to heat up.

Add the following:  one jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, 3 chicken bullion cubes, and about 32 oz of water.  Also add about 1.5 tsp of hot sauce.

Bring to a boil, add 1 cup of your favorite pasta noodles,  or whatever you had on hand.  I used mini bow tie pasta.

Let simmer for 40 minutes on low heat and voila! 

Super easy to make and a hearty and delicious meal!  :)

The Hairbrush

Last night when I was getting my son ready for bed, I was brushing his hair, and he said, "WHASIS?"  which I translate roughly to "What's this?"  I said, "It's a brush." and then I put his hand around the brush, and my hand around his hand and proceeded to show him how to brush his hair.  He yanked his hand away from mine and said, "Idoit."  And commenced to brush his hair.  I was shocked and pleasantly surprised.

I Thought of You.

I thought of you
--in the rhythms of my day
I thought of you
--in many ways
I thought of you
--and felt a rush of joy
I thought of you
--more than you'd think
I thought of you
--and felt desire rise--
I thought of you.

Night

When the blanket of darkness
falls on my house
and in my rooms
to the walls
I find myself at peace
with the night
knowing that it is just
alright.

Fear of Blogging

I sit down to write on this blog page so often.  I've got plenty to say-- if you know me, you know that.  But the thing is, whenever I sit down to write, I find myself deleting my words--even as I imagine sneering people reading what I wrote.