Kelly at Charming Chatter has suggested coming up with a word for 2011. The idea is to choose a word that describes what we'd like to see more of in our lives - maybe what we need a little work on. (Click here for a link to her blog post about Word Up.)
I first read about this on Wednesday from Mary over at Quilt Hollow. I loved her word - breathe. It reminded me of a sign my friend said she had hanging in her laundry room - "Relax and feel the difference."
After reading Mary's entry, a word for me popped into my head right away, but I wanted to let it percolate for a day or so to make sure it was the right word for a whole year. I know that my word found me because I just watched "The Bucket List" with my husband over the weekend. That movie makes me cry every time. Anyhow, one of my favorite scenes is when the two men are sitting on the pyramid and Morgan Freeman talks about what the ancient Egyptians believed. There are two questions asked when you are trying to get into heaven:
1. Have you found Joy in your life?
2. Has your life brought Joy to others?
Lately, I've been feeling like this world has gone totally crazy. And I've been letting that crazy-ness overwhelm me. I'm going back to simpler times. Enough is enough. I'm not going to give more energy to toxic situations and people. I'm not going to worry about things I can't fix or change. I'm going to concentrate on things I can do. I'm going looking for joy.
My word for 2011 is going to be JOY. I want to pay more attention to the joy in my life. And I want to be more active about bringing joy to other people, too.
I have a beautiful 30 minute drive morning and night on my way to school and back home. I love my drive. (Except on windy, snowy days in winter when I can't see anything, including the road, which thankfully is not often.) Today on the way home I saw one of the most beautiful winter sunsets I have ever seen. There was still some blue sky showing, along with puffy gray and white winter clouds. A bank of clouds floated just above the horizon and the sun was behind those clouds. I hope you have all had the chance to see how incredible the sky looks when the sun is shining from behind a cloud, illuminating every edge of the cloud in such a way that you just know heaven is behind there. Well that's what I saw. And it was amazing!
As I drove I was wishing that my family could be with me to see it. I was wishing my 4th graders could be with me to see it. And I was wishing I had my camera so I could share the joy of that scene with anyone who happened to read my blog. In my quest for joy, I am going to attempt to have my camera handy so I can share it.
I hope you have had some kind of joy in your life today...
Update - Unbelievable, but true...
My husband got home just as I was hitting publish on this blog post earlier and he told me that he was just talking to someone who saw the most incredible sunset they have ever seen today. They told him that when they saw it they knew they were seeing heaven. Then I showed him what I had just written.
What a coincidence that she described it just like I did... I'm so happy that someone else saw it, too. :)
