Grab joy!

Don't you just love when an author moves you? She or he just says something in a way that touches your heart. I can't say I read Sally Clarkson's blog on a regular basis, or that I have devoured her books (although I have a few of them). But every once in a while I take agander at an entry and when I do, I am blessed. Here is a blurb from a post I read through today I Take Joy:

"As I am writing and researching my book on joy, I am finding that one has to resolve to grab joy, every day, even in the midst of life--to see beauty, to choose to dance, to reach out because He reaches out and He is living through us, to also believe in heaven and hope in future fulfillment and to hold God's hand and receive His love by faith and to keep sowing seeds of love in others so that eventually the seeds will grow fruit. We must tightly hold on to the ideal of community and fight for it, as it is in the community of loving believers where the reality of God is most felt."

How lovely, how eloquent. Community, that is something I feel like I am working on building in our family's little world, but right now it is unique. Everything has its time and each phase of life seems to bring a unique version. In this phase I need to be home, home a lot! I don't mind, but this "building of community" just looks different than it will when the boys are older.

I like what Sally says about her family's experience.

"And now, I also see, that the greatest gift of all in the midst of my family's isolation and moving so much has been that we are the closest of friends.My children didn't have lots of people and so I didn't have much competition! We loved and had fun with each other out of necessity and the end result was that we are friends and love and enjoy each other each day by phone and email, not because we have to, but because we truly enjoy each other and are interested in each other's lives. My children have also experienced this loneliness--not many peers like them in today's world. Yet they are learning to lean into the life God has given to them and they are all best friends! Even after so many years of fussing and tussling--they ended up in love."

Her children are older of course, 24 to 13, but this closeness within her family, brothers and sisters being the closest of friends, is something to ponder and pray about for the future!

Blessings to everyone today!