What Brings You Joy Today?
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I woke up this morning and wondered what would bring me joy today? Because we need to find joy in every day we’re given. And grateful too.
I’m listening to Jim Brickman, which feeds my soul. He is playing a beautiful rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.”
Ivy is making a lot of noise playing with something behind my chair. She sure is a delight to watch.
This morning, Ivy has been meowing a bit (she doesn’t meow very much). She’s been acting like she sees a ghost and then hightails it into another room. She’s such a funny creature.
What Ivy likes seems to dictate many of my decisions in this apartment. For instance, I wanted to put my skinny tree there in the corner of the French doors like I did last year.
But last year, I hadn’t ordered Ivy’s big cat tower yet. She spends so much time at the top of that thing staring out at the patio. So I can’t bring myself to move it and replace it with a tree.
At night, after I turn the bedside lamp off, I find simple comfort and joy as I listen to the various sounds of my wind chimes. There is a wooden one, a metal one, and one with flat seashells.
Altogether, they create such beautiful music when the wind is blowing. Which, in Oklahoma, is much of the time. I like to listen to them before I go to sleep. The sound is soothing.
Feeling Old Today:
I have an ice pack on my back as I do most mornings because I’m not getting around very well. Sometimes I wear a back brace, and I always do the exercises multiple times per day.
I guess now that I’ve officially passed my 64th birthday, I can go ahead and completely fall apart. Oh, but I’m alive. COVID-19 has not scrambled the periphery of my life; my loved ones. And I’m so thankful.
I’m sitting here looking out at the patio and wondering how much I can accomplish this year with eight trigger fingers. And a back that has seen better days and an ankle that still gives me fits if I’m not careful.
Every year at this time, I look forward to my garden. It gets me through the winter. Gardening is the other thing that feeds my soul. Growing things is in my blood, and I need it like plants need sun.
Maybe when I can get outside and walk around, I’ll feel better. Are you aching and feeling the cold in your bones today, too?
What Makes Me Happy:
Charlie and Ivy, of course, are at the top of the list of what makes me happy, along with my girls and grandchildren.
My cozy home makes me happy, and the patio garden and the birds that regularly visit.
I love beautiful piano music with no words to complicate the harmony: my house plants and a clean home. Isn’t it amazing what music can do for your mood, depending on what you listen to?
The way a melody strikes a chord in your heart.
I love books; oh yes, a big pile of unread books! The feel of the sun warming my skin makes me happy.
I do love the rain and thunder, and listening to the steady pitter-patter of it on the roof while I am warm and cozy inside. And I love staring at the flame in my portable fireplace, even though the flames aren’t real.
Patchwork Quilts For A Patchwork Life:
And I also love the quilts I made long ago. Quilts remind me of home. I made those quilts because I did not have things handed down to me.
Simple as they are, they are a legacy for my children—something from one generation to another. I sewed and quilted one for each of my daughters for their high school graduation.
Today, I hope that some of this snow melts so that I can go out on the patio and at least walk around.
I have trash to take out. But the entire sidewalk is first covered in ice and then in snow. I’m afraid I would fall trying to get to the dumpster.
What brings you joy today? Do you find joy in the simple things in life, as I do? It is so easy to look around you at all the things that bring you joy, and take it in fully.
Joy is a Spark of Light:
Joy is a spark of light that rises from within — sometimes without warning, sometimes after a long wait. It’s the feeling that lifts your chest and softens your smile, the kind that makes you breathe a little deeper because life suddenly feels more alive.
It’s not always loud or overwhelming. Joy can be the quiet warmth of a morning sun rising in the east, or the soft laugh that escapes when someone you love does something silly.
It can feel like belonging, like being understood, like seeing beauty in something simple that you might have missed yesterday.
Joy is connection — to others, to yourself, to the world around you. It’s gratitude wrapped in emotion, delight that bubbles up because something feels right, good, or hopeful. It’s a reminder that even in hard seasons, there are moments worth savoring.
More than happiness, joy is rooted — it stays with you, glowing inside, long after the moment has passed.
It is the heart’s way of saying, “This matters. Remember this.”
My family. My dogs. Oh! And your ORANGE bottle🤩 I’ve never seen one before!!!
My daughter and her family bring me the most joy every day. My constant companion and sweet fur baby, Cooper makes me smile on a regular basis.
After being in my home for a little over a year it’s finally bringing me lots of comfort and joy.
Feeding my creative soul on a daily basis bring me joy. I enjoy spending lots of time with a needle and thread.
Having all the basic necessities brings me immense joy.
Delightful post, Brenda. Thank you!
Brenda, I’m a holistic doctor in texas. Anyone with your history of being on the spectrum will have problems processing folate due to genetic issues. It can contribute to your arthritis. Talk with your doctor about getting on methylfolate.
Brenda,
a Happy Birthday to you from yesterday. I don’t open my E-mail everyday; so today I’m catching up.
I never quite know how the day is going to be; it all depends on my creaky (almost 69 in April) body. But my dog and chickens and cat’s and husband also factor in.
My family makes me happy; I’m lucky to still have my mother (96 yrs) and a husband of going on 48 yrs. my daughter and son-in-law and three grandchildren. Two sisters , a brother and two brother-in-laws and nieces and their husbands and a great nephew and more to come! Friends and their families from all over America and the world.
Some of my favorite quotes from are from the philosopher, “Cicero.”
“If you have a garden and a Library, you have everything you need.”
“A room without Books is like a body without a soul.”
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” There are others, and they ‘re so spot on.
Funny that you mention the quilts. I had just been admiring the one in the picture of Charlie from yesterday’s post. Quilts bring me joy.
I find joy in my every day life as I am never bored or wishing for more. I have what I need. I am joyful my eyes still allow me to read and see beauty and my hands still can do some sewing although more minimal now, but still a feeling of doing rather than idleness. My pets, my love of home, all that brings me joy. When we had an ice storm back maybe 20 years ago and had no power or heat for over a week, I remember thinking as we took family members into our home to sleep in the living room that had a fireplace, I will never take another day for granted. We ate food that defrosted from our freezer and cooked on our gas grill till no more propane and none to get. But we managed and are still here, even after covid. My church family will all be on zoom again tomorrow with our service and that sets the tone for a peaceful week for me.
Please be very careful out there Brenda. I slipped on ice and broke my wrist this winter! It’s been a challenge. Typing this with one hand….
My family brings me so much joy! I have one daughter and one son, three grandchildren and one great grandchild.
I am grateful to have my nice warm and cozy home in the mountains of WV ! I’m praying for the people in Texas that the electric and water will be restored very soon!
Sunshine brings me joy today! Since 2021 started, over half of the days Here have been rainy or cloudy. Looking forward to Spring! And of course, my furbabies bring endless joy. I am so very grateful I have a warm, dry home with running water. So many people are suffering from these weather extremes.
Focusing on the things that bring you joy is a great subject and focus. It is far easier for us to complain, isn’t it? My joys for today…
The sun is shining.
My hard-working husband.
My fur babies, Clementine and Monkey.
Visiting with a friend today. (She’s in my “COVID bubble”.)
The variety of beautiful birds at my feeders.
A warm house with running water and electricity.
Plenty of food in the house to eat.
My online friends.
I think your evergreen tree will bounce back Brenda. We have one in the garden here in Canada and it looks half dead in the winter but as soon as spring arrives I am always surprised how it revives and looks lovely and green again and growing.
As most, I am thankful for the sunshine today. We live in a suburb of Houston and it’s been rough on everyone here. The rolling blackouts on people trying to stay warm, frozen pipes and lack of water and food has made it even more difficult. We were one of the lucky ones who never lost power when everyone around us did. The homes here are not well insulated so many people were so cold and miserable. Praying for healing and warmth for everyone in Texas and areas that were affected by this arctic storm.
Today, Saturday, 2.20.21, I love having water and power…there are millions in Texas who didn’t have these things for the last five days but are slowly starting to get them back. These past five days have been the coldest I have seen in my 76 years in central Texas. My returning relationship with my 16 year old grandson also brings me joy.
I am joyous because the sun is out again today, and the temperatures have been rising above single digits for the past 3 days. I am hoping some of the gigantic icicles hanging from my roofline melt down some and maybe soften up enough that I can knock them down with my broom. The sun has been doing its job all week long, coming out for at least 3 hours or more since Monday. Most of the area where I shoveled my driveway and the sidewalks have had every speck of snow and residual ice evaporated away by the sun’s rays. I will go out and shovel for another hour today to shovel some more. I don’t need to shovel any more snow out of the way to access my property and clear the public sidewalk (required by law here – all ice/snow must be removed within 24 hours after a snowfall), but I like being out in the sunshine and fresh air for awhile each day, even during our 20 to 40 below zero days as long as the sun peaked out from the clouds. I am also joyful because last evening I finally received the email I’ve been waiting for to schedule an appointment for my first COVID vaccine shot. I had started to think it might not happen until May or June. I will be able to visit my sisters and family in person and travel on trains, planes and in cars once again, that is a tearful joy!
My joy comes from Jesus as your earlier commenter said. Through his Presence I am able, like you, to find joy in the simple things in life. I truly look forward to your blog each day. You write so beautifully and with such compassionate wisdom.
Stay well. Spring is coming soon for all of us.
Marilynn
You ask what brings me joy today ? My personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ is what brings me joy and makes my life worth living. He is the source of all love and joy. Please consider opening your heart to Him. He loves us all, but not all of us will open our hearts to Him.
I simply love this post. a mutual lover of rain and thunder and simple things.
and like you… my heart overflows with gratitude for my life now.
this very minute! we still have lots of snow and cold. but the sun is shining.
things in my life could be (and even have been through the years) a lot worse!
I’ve never wanted or needed much. but I’m finally learning to live in the NOW. xo
Many things bring me joy. Today, with almost 10″ of snow to melt, these are a few. My Schnauzer Roxie is first on the list, and the first thing I thank God for every day. The Sun shinning on a cold white morning, certainly brings me joy Crafting, painting or sewing/quilting brings me joy. Time with my best friends brings me joy…we enrich each other.
In a few weeks, my yard and the hundreds of flowers will bring me great joy..