Joy

If there's one thing I'm most thankful for it's Joy! Somehow, God managed to fill my heart with so much joy that even when I should be crying, I find reasons to smile, to enjoy life and I think that, my friends, is a true gift. It's not that I don't know pain, or don't react to pain, or don't feel pain but I like feeling joy and so I seek it, find it and recognize it in people and places.
When I think of what's most important to me, I think of my family: my husband, my son, my parents, my sibling, my friends. But when I think of something I like most about myself, I think of joy, this capacity to feel happiness at the sight of beautiful flowers, or, as defined by this website:
 http://www.thefreedictionary.com/joyjoy  (joi)

n.

1.

a. Intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness.

b. The expression or manifestation of such feeling.

2. A source or an object of pleasure or satisfaction: their only child, their pride and joy.

v. joyed, joy·ing, joys

v.intr.

To take great pleasure; rejoice.

v.tr. Archaic

1. To fill with ecstatic happiness, pleasure, or satisfaction.

2. To enjoy.

I do that. And I do it a lot. I like to live life fully, to enjoy every little moment. and you know what? I'm grateful for that, for the fact that I find pleasure in the most unexpected places, for the simplest reasons because I don't think I could be living my life, the life I have today, without carrying this joy in my heart. I live a pretty difficult life. I'm not going to pretend that I don't. And I know what they say: As a Christian, I have to bear my cross and I believe that too but, I don't have to like it, right? Well, thanks to joy, this ability to feel happiness, I go through my day with a fair amount of joy. I don't start my day telling myself I'm going to find joy today. I just seize opportunities, whether big or small, when they present themselves, do things that either make me smile, satisfy me on one level or another or, make me happy. For example, hugging my son, tickling him and kissing him make me happy. I enjoy doing these things to him. Because they make him smile, they make me smile and make me feel close to him. they make my husband smile, too and I feel like it's a good family moment. I don't do it all every day but I do pretty often. I enjoy teasing my husband and making him laugh. I enjoy having fresh flowers around the house and I buy them for myself, too, just because. I also enjoy eating ice cream, splashing the water with  my feet, taking care of my plants and laughing when I watch old episodes of sitcoms I've seen a thousand times. Joy! I thank God for putting it in my heart.