Joy Break 10.18

Today after church there was a luncheon to celebrate stewardship--the giving of time, talents and treasures to the church, both over the past year and in the coming year. There was a guest pastor who was quite pleasant and very big on 'giving generously'--but not necessarily with money. He said several things that stuck with me, but it was his conviction and his passion that really made me pay attention. He talked about being joyful in all we do, even when our giving is so, so small (either in time or financially). That when we are cheerful in our spirit as we move forward, God is pleased. God doesn't want us to live a life of sadness and disappointment. We are to be joyful. One of the ways we can do this is to reflect on those things that bring us joy, that we are thankful for. He closed with the adage--'We don't need more things to be thankful for, we just need to be more thankful for the things we have!'

I've seen fellow bloggers doing this throughout the year--and I have been very impressed by it. So I have decided to take a Joy Break each day and note at least 3 things for which I am thankful. I hope to remind myself how blessed I am, even on days when it really doesn't seem like it.

1. My fat, white kitty who has the loudest purr of all time--she loves loves loves to snuggle, and I thoroughly enjoy her wet nose kisses and soft, head-butts very early in the morning. If I've got to wake up, that's a pretty good way to start my day!
2. I am thankful that I get to make my own schedule for work and work from home. But, I travel nearly 70% of the time. My joy today is that today, and tomorrow, and Wednesday I get to be at home at night--3 whole days of working locally before my next trip. Yea!
3. The sun came out yesterday. Enough said!