JOY–Tomorrow Kathy and I will leave for western Oregon for the funeral of her younger brother’s wife. During this week I’ve also been working on the funeral for my sis Alice which will take place on Feb. 10. Both of these times are far from joyful, but I’ve been processing in my mind the topic of Joy during this time. The first joyful thing is they are both in heaven and I’m sure they’ve met. Both of these ladies were blessed with the gifts of love and laughter. Both had the unique ability to laugh one minute and then give the most sage advice in the next minute. They were intently interested in the person/s they were with. You loved being with them for this very reason.

I’m beginning to find that JOY will likely never be in the forefront of everything I do. It is the place I want to find no matter what is before me. What Jesus is showing me is that I can shorten the time for which I find JOY by making this my priority. I can apply the wisdom of The Serenity Prayer: accept what I cannot change, change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Learning to apply these steps quickly will allow JOY to surface knowing God is in charge–not me.