{finding joy} a series



photo from revelife.com


Given that the entire aim of this blog is to point people in the direction of finding joy in the everyday of life, I realized that I should probably do more of that, so I'm going to start a weekly "finding joy" post. I'm not sure what it'll look like yet, but for the first post, I thought I'd share with you some of the little joys I've found in MY everyday just this week. I hope it encourages you to celebrate some of the seemingly normal but really extraordinary moments that we experience each and every day.



I found joy in that ...

1. My favorite work pants were ready for me at the dry cleaners at work this morning - a morning where I struggled to find anything to wear and felt a little blah. I quickly exchanged my skirt and tights for my beloved navy Banana ankle pants and feel great! Thank goodness I chose a shirt that goes well with them.

2. My niece, Sophia, is growing like a crazy person. Looking at pictures of her just a month ago and seeing her this last weekend amazes me. It's kind of sad to know she'll grow up so fast, but oh how sweet it is to savor her emerging personality and pinpoint which family members her features come from.

3. My roommate, Betsie, is getting married in May, and last night she had her soon-to-be family members come over to help her with invitations. I came home from yoga to the last hour of their embossing session and felt so blessed by the conversations they were having about adoption and what a godly marriage looks like. I sat there and ate a tasty caramel-pretzel brownie (made by another roommate, Kayleen) while simply listening to their encouraging words. Such a good Monday night.

4.  The high temperatures for the next 10 days never dip below 37 degrees here in Minneapolis! With the sun shining and birds chirping, it really feels like it could actually be spring ... minus the boots I'm still wearing :) But a little sunshine and no snow makes for such a happy Mary.

5. On Sunday, I went to church with my entire immediate family. All 9 of us - Mom & Dad, Abby, Matt & Sophia, Clay & Anya, and Alex & Me. That practically never happens. I especially loved hearing my mom's beautiful voice during worship.

Life is so sweet, guys :)