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Stephanie Howell

reading, organizing, shopping, momming too close to the sun. Home is wherever the Army sends us.

Joy.

 I love this quote and believe in it with all of my heart. I am conscientiously choosing to be joyful each day…even if it’s really damn hard sometimes. Even if I have to work really hard at choosing happiness, I believe it’s really important!

I’ve certainly gotten sucked into the vortex of complaining and negativity. But you know what? It’s malignant. And exhausting. And I much prefer joy.

How about you? What do you choose?

xoxo

S

Comments

  2. Oh yes, joy for me too please Stephanie. I have a little boy, the littlest of three, and he exudes utter joy all day every day in everything he does. He is absolutely thrilled with life. Always. When I need to remember joy, I watch him skipping down the street or laughing out loud. About half of the pictures I have of him, he is literally flying through the air, jumping. For joy.

  3. Take joy in the fact that you do not have an old basset hound with righteous anal glands. Stinky, outrageous, boot scootin’ boogie, anal glands. Sleeping and DROOLING on my new pottery barn sequined pillow. I am taking joy that his stinky, drooling self is still alive and although he is very grouchy, he still brings us TREMENDOUS joy.

  4. Joy was my One Little Word in 2012 and it has been my favorite word ever. In fact, I haven’t really moved past it. I also believe that you can choose to be joyful – maybe not all the time but a lot of the time. It can be hard to make that choice sometimes but it is so worth it. So, here’s to joy and wishing you lots more of it.

  5. I’ve had “rejoice” as a personal “goal” for the past few years. A great reminder to me each year (and it really should be every day) is Philippians 4:4– “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (and then the verses that follow, too!)
    A sermon I once heard on this topic spoke to the fact that as believers, we always have a cause for rejoicing: we should always be rejoicing in our salvation. No matter what our circumstances, whether it’s little things or big things that are going wrong, NOTHING can take away our salvation, and that is the most important thing in all eternity. It’s quite a convicting message, don’t you think? Wow.
    Thank you for the reminder to rejoice. It’s been a hard day, but I need to rejoice in the Lord.

  10. This is so true!!!! I’m at a real crossroads right now, but just this week I have been able to embrace what I can change, but let go of what I cannot. Here’s hoping that I can keep it up, thx so much for sharing!

  11. What do I choose? I choose to read your blog everyday and laugh and cry and rejoice in the good that you share and hold you in my thoughts during the trials you face. And it’s not damn hard (sorry but that line made me bust up). 😉

  16. Will Bowen wrote a book called “happy THIS year” and it was life changing to me in how I look at happiness as a choice and not an emotion.
    You can get it via audio book or kindle download if your library doesn’t have it.
    It is SO GOOD.

  18. It has been a while since I came visiting from little New Zealand and so I am catching up on your family. I love the word Joy but for me it goes in hand with Kindness…can’t have enough of either in this world of ours. Blessings from this Kiwi Chick