Wednesday, September 30

Under Threat of Harm, The Year Of Joy Recap

I'm blogging! I'm blogging! (I'm starting to get scary phone calls and emails!) So, do you remember that 2009 is slated in my book as "The Year of Joy"? Since it's hard to blog with all that pressure *aherm*, I thought maybe a quick recap of where the Year of Joy has gone thus far would be in order. It's not over, yet, but it is flying by!

It began with a bit of a bang - the whole Stranded in the Boonies with the 20- something% Sales Tax thing. An impacted wisdom tooth (and its extraction), and then a doctor whose nonprofessional attitude cost us a *lot* of money and time, getting to the root of the problem.

The Suburban finally died a cranky, Shakespearean-style death. Two procedures for the kidney thing. There's still something wrong with my arm from the heplock. The kids' pediatrician has had his license suspended. I won't even go into the political scene right now, but suffice it to say there's been little joy on that front, for us. (I get that it's been quite joyful for some. I do.) The garden has leprosy. The pear trees developed mange. Some days, we've been pretty sure EmBaby has rabies. The deck still doesn't have stairs on the front, and there are still no screens on the doors. Zorak hasn't had his sinus surgery yet, so nobody's slept well in... oh, about 14 years.

But, wait. Is there joy in there? Yes, there is. There's a lot of joy in 2009! Allow me to expound.

I'll bold the Joy.

Along the way, we've been blessed with kind-hearted, loving souls, from the lady who brought us diapers in Arkansas, to the sweet friend who loaned us her vacuum for the appraisal... From phone-friends who have made us laugh, and made us think, to family who teach and guide and encourage... From finally finding a church home, to developing deepening friendships locally... From building slushmen on the balcony to catching fireflies in the lower meadow. We finished the bathroom and have two working toilets! We've had a number of wonderful afternoons with the kids, and splendid evenings together without the kids.

We've learned and stretched and grown. We've worked together, and learned how to work together better than ever before. We've been able to help others in many ways. And we've been helped in many ways. The kids are all a year older, healthy, happy, and loved. We all have a better idea of what won't work in the garden. There's a plan for next year's garden! (It may not work, but that's not the point.)

So. Much. Joy. Sometimes, I don't know where to begin. We didn't expect that this would be the Year of Nothing Challenging. Where's the joy in that? This truly is The Year of Joy, and sometimes, Joy arrives in the most delightful places, just where you need it the most. Where do you find your Joy?

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mmm...good stuff!

A wise person told me "Thoughts in mind produce after their kind", you've got so much wonderful coming your way:) Enjoy it all ~

Thanks for sharing.

Pamela

Dy said...

Pam, that's a beautiful sentiment. There are variations on that theme throughout all kinds of cultures. The consistency really drives home the fact that there's some basis to it, doesn't it?

Thanks so much for sharing your enthusiasm and encouragement. It's appreciated, all around.

Good stuff!

Ritsumei said...

This is a wonderful post! It goes along nicely with some thoughts from an article I read this afternoon called, "Joy Cometh in the Morning" given at one of our church's big women's conferences, which are satellite broadcast to women all over the world. I thought that you might like a few of the thoughts from the article, as they speak so nicely to what you are saying here:

"In a myriad ways daily, each of us can be “surprised by joy.”

"Joy and sorrow are twinborn, as is reflected in a scripture from Psalms: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” "

Thank you for sharing your year of joy with us!