JoY

When I write or type that word, I begin and end it with capital letters.

It begins with a smile on my computer keyboard and it ends with arms raised high in praise.

It’s a habit, perhaps not one of which my favorite English teachers, my mother  and mother-in-law would approve, but I know they’d be happy at the fact that I have this three-letter word in my vocabulary. (Hey Mother and Mom, I did that “of which” to prevent my participle from dangling, and to make up for the improper writing of this word.)

JoY.

J – o – Y!.

See it?

Even when I journal or write out Scripture, there it is. There I am. Here I am, now. Me in the midst of smiling praise.

J – o – Y.

I’ve got JoY for so many reasons:

• first grand baby, a boy, who smiles when I gaze upon him
• hearing our oldest son’s latest sermon
• a bobble blanket I’m crocheting…the cotton feel goods in my hands
• life on the hill with my husband
• second son about to graduate from Auburn (War Eagle!) then marry in October
• more time to spend with my daughter-in-love as she has begun her calling as stay-at-home wife/mom
• another almost daughter-in-love who asks for my help in wedding planning
• Sunday dinners after church with family here
• engaging with other women in our church family
• resting from teaching Bible study
• texts from my older sister who married last fall
• confidence that I belong to the three-part God
• writing this post today and sharing with you
• my purple-pink orchid I named “Tehillah” (Hebrew for “praise”) in bloom
• my other white orchid named “Selah” (Hebrew for “pause” or “think on this”) doing just that as she has no bloom
• recently planted herbs in the window box outside the kitchen
• trying to to do a familiar same old thing I’m not very good at, (I dangled there, forgive)  but trying nonetheless…

That’s my J – o – Y.

Smile.

Praise.

J – o – Y!

Read what others write about JoY today at