Think Back Tuesday, What Brought Me Joy?

When I sat down at the computer to look back on the previous week, watching the birds still gorging themselves at the bird feeder and the "all you can eat" seed buffet in the snow-covered landscape, I thought, really, the last week hasn't been that joyful.

Peaceful, maybe, but not full of joy.

I didn't see the three Es for four days as the snow kept their daddy home from work for two days, then it was the weekend and they didn't make it to church Sunday. In fact, I've pretty much been home most of the last week, shrouded in a comforting blanket of snow that kept the world away.

Then I started thinking and there were actually a lot of random memories that brought a smile to my face.

1. The birds trying to work up the nerve to eat from the suet feeder while I was sitting in the sun just below them. This was after the snow, when the sun came out all bright and glorious and warm and I was in my shirt sleeves on the phone and had no intention of moving. The maple was aflutter with hungry birds who would swoop in for a landing, give me the eye and then flee without a bite.

2. The fact that I had my husband get two D batteries and still knew where the second one was at when the carbon monoxide detector started beeping. The other smoke detector and three crazed house dogs got me out of bed one night and I had put them on our weekly shopping list. Of course, the batteries come in a two-pack, so that wasn't the tough part. Actually knowing where it was at when the second one started beeping was the amazing part.

3. Snow. I dreaded the snow's arrival, but once it took over the landscape it was magical. It trapped me and my husband at home for a day without children or work. I decided it wasn't such a bad thing after all.

4. Going 24 hours without poop in W's cage. I keep W (no name to protect his identity) in my kennel all the time and he's this tiny, adorable little dog. Except he cannot go 8 hours without messing in his crate and every morning I'm greeted by the smell of dog feces. Sometimes, despite having been out a short time before, I'm greeted by that same scent in the afternoon or any other time I go back. When I went out Sunday morning, no mess. It was nice but it didn't last. Monday morning he had messed enough to need a bath.

5. Finally finishing Evie's turtle. Shortly after she was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, and we began to talk about weighted lap blankets we came up with the idea of a lap pillow. She has always liked crocheted blankets, so a crocheted pillow might be good. She loved the idea of a turtle, but of course picked one that I could not find a free pattern for. So I made it up, it just took longer.

6. The younger woman at church who sees me as an "earth mother" and has given me the hippy name of Rainbow Sunshine. Her smile and hug at church are always welcome and make me smile in return.

7. Finally making it home Wednesday after having to drive in the snow for the first time in four years. I went to my daughter's home to babysit so the girls would not be out, but the snow came before my son-in-law got home, so I got to drive home in driving snow with all the other idiots out there. It was nerve wracking and I was so glad to get home.

8. Not having to drive in the snow after I managed to get home on Wednesday. Until four years ago, I've had to drive in the snow for 25 years because news doesn't quit when it snows. I was glad to sit at home and watch it snow and not have to worry about getting anywhere.

9. Grackles and skunks appearing on the landscape. The scent of skunks and the arrival of the grackles at the bird feeders, as unwelcome as they may be, are sure signs of spring. It's mating season for skunks and the birds have come back from wherever they spent the bulk of the winter.

10. My neighbors pushing snow. I could literally have hugged them both. One came by on a tractor pushing the road and then stopped to ask if I would like my driveway pushed. Absolutely. An hour or so later when I took a shovel out to dig out the cars, another neighbor stopped with a small loader and did the finer cleanup. I was left with very little shovel work and a lot of gratitude.

So take a minute now and think back on last week. What random things made you smile, even in the midst of all the less than joyful things that may have been going on around you? Snow cream? Safe travels? Unexpected time with family? Power that didn't go out? Pull those things out and treasure them and their memory to get you through the week ahead.

I dare you.

Think Back Tuesday -- What Brought You Joy?

Who celebrates Tuesdays?

Seriously, we dread Monday and back to work, Wednesday is hump day, Thursday is over the hump and Friday is the big exhale. Saturday and Sunday, of course, are the weekend and generally our time to rest and relax. What is Tuesday besides the day after Monday? Perhaps we should change that.

Although I read a blog where every Thursday the writer challenges us for Thankful Thursday, last week another blogger asked about moments of joy. Her reflections on things that made her joyful the previous week had me doing the same mental exercise and I found out a wonderful thing. It changed my perspective. Less of my week was spent grieving and more of it was celebrating life.

I set out to recognize those moments of joy in the week that followed and there were more of them than I had been taking the time to appreciate.

So, at least for the time being, I think I'll make Tuesdays my official Think Back Tuesday and try to remember the things that made me joyful in hopes of changing my perspective on the week ahead.

It may be a challenge this week, because we've been battling the norovirus in little people and my daughter has been sick as well. I've been puked on repeatedly and cleaned up way more little hind ends than I care to count. A small trash can took up residence in my car for road trips, and E2 had to be rushed out of gymnastics where she managed to not throw up in any inappropriate places.

Still, there were rays of sunshine in the less than stellar week. Some of them may have been really random in otherwise dark places, but in some ways those stand out most of all.

1. When E2 was still feeling under the weather at church Sunday, tired out from being sick, she had her mommy, but she wanted Ma. OK, I'm sad she was sick, but it made me feel so special that she still wanted me to come and hold her and talk to her.

2. In fact, E2 brought another random smile when she threw up on the table at church Wednesday. OK, that was horrible, but the reaction of the middle school age boys at the table was priceless. They weren't freaked out. One remarked that she had picked a really good place (after all, most of the church is carpeted, but not the fellowship hall) and they all just picked up their plates and moved.

3. Dressing up as a pirate for the big birthday bash. Kids were encouraged to dress up and some of adults went with the theme, too. Mommy, Nanny and Aunt were all princesses contending with long flowing dresses and tiaras. Although E1 told me I was supposed to be a princess, I informed her I was not froofroo enough. All the little boys were enthralled with my plastic sword and I didn't have to worry about my hair or who might be stepping on my dress tail.

4. Seeing two of my friends who haven't yet made PiYo or Zumba part of their routine at class last week. I had not seen them except through Facebook since before losing my son, but I know they've both had their own losses as well, so we have a bond. We all hugged and were happy about their upcoming wedding. It was one of those silly, almost giddy moments we women are sometimes prone to.

5. Grooming a rescue. OK, it was horrible, tough work and he was a big, dirty dog who did not like the idea of clippers making that awful noise anywhere near his head. Not only that, but he didn't turn out looking great largely because of that. But wrestling him with his rescuer, finally holding him my lap and getting him to calm down enough that I could remove the band of mats that had been beneath his collar, and freeing him from knots all over his body, made me happy because that was something I could do for him that no one had ever bothered to do.

6. Pedro, the rescue I have been housing for about four months, frequently brings me random joy. I'm his first human love and the look in his eyes when he avoids assaulting me (he is often over enthusiastic in his joy at sharing the same space as me) makes me smile. He sometimes frustrates me to no end and I dream of the day when he leaves for a real home, but remembering how far he has come from abuse and neglect brings me joy.

7. Lucy, my number two Jack Russell terrier, curling up in my lap Sunday night, while Abi, numero uno, was beside me, was totally random joy. They are not snugglers. Ever. Well, maybe on cold nights in bed, but in general they do not consider themselves lap dogs. After an emotional day, having my two little buddies lending their canine support to my well being was special.

8. E1's delight at the new kitchen furnishings that E2 received as a birthday gift. Each of the girls has a dollhouse and they seem to exchange furniture frequently and have a plethora of beds and baby gear. New kitchen equipment, along with tables and chairs, was an appreciated addition to the mix. She had a similar reaction to the Operation game. While it was, I'm sure, largely a reaction to what she anticipated as shared goods, her joy was infectious.

9. Watching E2 with her slice of birthday cake. While everyone was watching the baby take on her smash cake and making over her, E2 was quite content to not be the center of attention and enjoy her cake at a leisurely pace. While it can be frustrating to get her through a meal sometimes, recognizing her contentment at doing things her way and without a lot of hoopla is refreshing.

10. Baby hugs. No matter how many times I get one, E3's embraces are priceless and will, as she grows, cease to exist. Now when she is picked up she often responds by embracing me, putting her head on my shoulder and her little arm around to my back where she pats. Hugging a baby has to be joy at it's most pure form.

Just like last week, I'll challenge you to think of the things that brought you joy last week. Look for those things in the week ahead. If it's a tough week, they will be the things that penetrate the gloom and cast a ray of sunshine in your heart. They'll be things you don't work at, things you don't expect out of whatever situation you're dealing with. They will be the things that make another week not quite as tough as it could have been and give you cause to look forward to the week ahead.

Even if it is only Tuesday.

We Need to Remember Joy is a Random Thing

What brought you joy last week?

It's easy sometimes to get so caught up in the things we struggle with that we fail to give proper credit to the things that bring us happiness, however fleeting.

I spent a good part of my weekend blog hopping, to the extent that it seems some bloggers spend all their time writing about blog hopping. It was a perhaps necessary exercise to see how other people write and try to expand readership (following those I found I liked and getting some new followers myself) but out of all my blog hopping, Monday morning I found inspiration. Anna Elizabeth, who had commented on several of my blogs, also blogs at The Five Facets and her blog, which show up on Google+ feed (yes I know, who cares) was about random things that brought her joy last week.

I decided it wouldn't be bad to take a moment or two to think about the things that brought me joy last week -- heck, that would probably be a good habit to get into. SO I did, even if it's not Thankful Thursday. I'll call it Thinkback Tuesday.

1. Sledding with the girls. Sure, the snow sucked and there was only a couple of inches of really slick stuff that DOT never really addressed, but for two little girls who can't remember a significant snowfall, it was enough. A small hill, a good sled and snow bibs and we were able to enjoy time outside.

2. A doughnut with E1. Watching her eat her chocolate-covered, creme-filled concoction while her busy little eyes were focused on the fresh doughnuts rolling off the conveyor belt was priceless. Indeed, the whole morning's outing was an unexpected joy.

3. Deer hams from a virtual stranger. Three phone calls on Saturday had me meeting Josh at the interstate where he had two hams in a tub from the extended bow season in Elkin, NC. He'd hunted all season and while he still enjoyed hunting, his need for meat had slipped. One was cut up and went into the freezer and the second into the crockpot for this week's protein addition.

4. Watching the sourdough sponge rise. Unless you've done it, don't laugh. You can actually see the dough breathing. About 10-12 hours into its expansion, the bubbles rise and burst causing the dough to move and wiggle. The fact that each batch brings me closer to perfection (or what I want it to be) and that I've been using the bread for sandwiches, etc., only adds to my fascination with step two of the process.

5. Singing in church. Sunday morning, after struggling with worship songs for weeks and finding my peace with "Keep Making Me," I was able to sing with the congregation without feeling like I had to hold back. It was the "Revelation Song" and it didn't matter that the big screens weren't working because I knew it from my heart and sang it out with joy.

6. Walking with Rebel, Macy and my husband Saturday afternoon. The first day of February turned out fairly nice and my big yard dogs haven't seen me nearly as much as they would like this winter. They were practically doubling up in enthusiastic tail wags, walking on my heels and, in Macy's case, bouncing off of me in their excitement. Hubby hadn't walked as much as he would have liked last week either, so he joined us and we all took a brisk stroll down the road and back.

7. Zumba. Well, Zumba almost always makes me smile and even more so as I'm feeling ties to my classmates that I never had before. After the aggravation of missing another night class on Tuesday thanks to the aforementioned snow, I was at Move2Melt just a little late Saturday morning and, other than realizing I still had gum in my mouth and having to run spit it out, didn't miss a beat of music, although I won't say I was always with it. Dancing makes me happy. My classmates make me smile.

8. A Super Bowl commercial that made me laugh out loud. It was for Chevy, the first one with the bull and romance in the air and "You Sexy Thing" for a soundtrack. I grew up around cows and it was just hilarious to me. Pretty soon after that the game was so bad that I didn't even watch, but that one made me laugh.

9. A diaper blowout. Yes, those are generally bad things, but this one was beyond the realm of bad. It was just hilarious because E3 had not only covered herself, but somehow managed to shoot poop out of the top of her diaper and leave a trail across the playroom. Much cleanup, a stinky baby and all, it was just too funny to not laugh.

10. Two little girls yelling "Ma!" and wrapping tiny arms around my legs when we rode over to watch the Super Bowl at their house. That will always bring me joy, although I know the voices and range of reach will change. When they are so excited that I'm at their house, despite all the time we've spent together in the week, it's especially priceless.

There, 10 things to be thankful for last week and a reason to take the time to note the things that bring me joy this week as well. Perhaps a challenge to each of you to do the same and share? Maybe, little by little, we can realize our lives are better than we take the time to recognize in the moment.