How to Have JOY?

As I was getting ready for the Sabbath this morning a rush of GRATITUDE began to take over my thoughts and eventually spill over into this blog post!  Lucky you :)  This post is mine.....strictly introspective and unique.
It actually all started when I wondered to myself, (quite oddly), "why have I been so happy?"  and then "what is making me happy?"  The questions evolved and eventually I was left with a list of things that bring me JOY.  I decided that happy was the COMPLETE WRONG WORD.  It is more than happy, more than fun, JOY seems to describe the heart...joy is the right word.  The list is short.  It includes the things that are presently making room in my heart!  Remember, introspective and unique.  Heavenly Father made me different, of that I am aware :)

1.  This week I got to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert....Muppet's and all...regardless if you are Mormon or not, the sheer cultural, beauty and magic of this event is HAPPY.  And it was, sitting there with my entire family and my sister Patti, I thought to myself.  Life is AWESOME!   However, as the concert was drawing to a close and the Choir began to sing of the Savior.  I cannot describe to you the feelings I had.  They can only be felt.  Music brings me JOY.  The Shepard, the angels, all dug their way firmly into my heart I began to feel like I knew them, like I knew me better, just from listening to this music.  I thought to myself, Mack Wilberg has the most AWESOME LIFE!  If he gets to FEEL like this as he creates, produces, and delivers his testimony through music!  Jealous I am :)

2.  Food brings me Joy!    Lest you think badly of me, let me rephrase that.   Making food for other people brings me joy.  Yesterday JoDee and LaWrell and Brigham were here.   As I fed them Tortellini and Christmas cookies for lunch, LaWrell said, "That was perfect!"  I was delighted :)  All I have ever wanted to do was be DONNA and create an environment where people wanted to come, feel welcome, and stay for a spell.

3.  Snow brings me Joy!  Actually, I am sitting in my kitchen watching the snow fall at a 30 degree angle (that is important) and thinking of what my sister always says.  "When you see snow, you know Heavenly Father Loves YOU!"  To be perfectly honest, I am not at all convinced it is the snow.  Snow to me is synonymous with my dad.  The blizzard, the snowblowing, the sleds tied on back of the snow machine.  The big grey snowsuit all the way down to the way we would sit on the couch and watch the snow fall in the late night under the street light.  That is where you learn about the ANGLE at which snow is falling.

4.  Yesterday I got to go to our first ward party of the Spring Lake 4th Ward.  It was delightful.  Ward Parties bring me joy!  I am not sure that I can fully put my finger on why, only that, it is in these settings that you realize you are literally surrounded by A LOT of really good people, that you really like.  At one point during the party, I left to find a child and came back to the table to find Jared and brother Day both on their phones....annoyed...then as I got closer, I found that they were  both scanning their family trees to see where they were related.  COOL!  Good people!

5.  Teaching brings me Joy!  Testifying of the Savior brings me joy!  There is nothing quite like that feeling.

6.  Being at home!  With my kids!  With music playing, food on the table, the air hockey table going, the dominoes on the floor, the couch cluttered with people.  FAMILY IS MY JOY!

I remember one particular Christmas EVE, a very long time ago.  Laying in my bed, completely distraught.  At the beginning of December I had been given a scripture list from my Young Women's leader.  "If you will read one of these scriptures each day of December, you will feel the Christmas Spirit."  I had not read the scriptures,  the Christmas Season had been HAPPY, but I knew that it was not JOY yet.  I lay there determined to read every scripture and fill up my JOY meter right then and there.
The Spirit taught me something very important that night.  IT COULD NOT BE DONE!  I could start.  But I could not accomplish it in a night.  My studies would have to be ongoing, not one and done!  And so that night I started but I did not finish.  This past year I have continued that quest by studying the Book of Mormon for the sole purpose of learning more about the ATONEMENT.  And now I know about JOY.  Everything good and prosperous, lovely and joyful, calming and peaceful, creative and enriching....EVERYTHING has come because of the Savior.  JOY is here!  Joy will always be here because HE has overcome the World!  The Savior Brings me JOY!

Merry Christmas!