Happy November, Friends!
You all know how much I love the start of a new month… fresh start for whatever you want it to be. This is my favorite time of year – fall with the beautiful colors and leaves just popping at every turn; Thanksgiving with family gatherings, parade, football and friends; and then “the most wonderful time of the year” as we head into Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus and decorating, gift giving and more family and friend gatherings.
This year will be different for us as for many of you reading this. We will be navigating our “new normal” without my Dad. Maybe you, too have lost loved ones or have gone through other life-changing events or losses. And it is okay to grieve through these things.
For me, I have to be intentional about finding JOY in these days ahead because I know Dad would not want us to be sad as he is enjoying this beautiful life in heaven. And I want to have JOY as I remember all the fun times we had with him during these autumn and winter days.
Therefore, I am giving myself a personal challenge of doing something intentional to bring JOY from today through the remainder of the year. As January rolls around and I set new goals for my “Year of 60” (YIKES – I will be 60 in 2025), I will see how that year looks for my next JOY Journey.
This challenge means that I will be intentional about finding things that brings me JOY. Today it is cleaning out my home office – closet and all – to get set up and organized better. With Dad’s illness I was never able to make the office the way I wanted to be efficient and JOYFUL in my new gig at Gorilla Glue. So today I will work on that room – ordering myself a new desk and chair. 
What does JOY look like to you? How can you incorporate JOY in your daily life by being intentional? 
Some days I will find JOY in doing fun things for friends, family, and even strangers. Other days, I will find JOY in simple things like playing the piano or doing diamond art. And still other days, I may find JOY in just watching a movie with my honey or Christmas shopping with my girls.
I encourage you to explore JOY also.
What will you do TODAY to find JOY?
A JOYFUL heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22
**Picture from my painted door during Covid reminding me to find JOY in the Journey. 
