day 15: joy.

Much to my shame & embarassment, day 15 is actually happening the morning of the 16th. BUT that's only because my Saturday actually reflected almost exactly what I wanted this blog post to be about: simple, slow happiness. I was going to try & post last night, but between all the best friends and old friends I ended up talking to, I ran out of time. So here's to relationships and late blog posts and grace from blog readers :)

Okay! Word of the day is: joy. I've already kind of hit the deeper side of this word in a blog post you can read here...so I'll try not to go to deep again! This post will be some sort of weird combination of the fact that I get really excited about really small things, and the ridiculously lovely feelings I experience when summer rolls around every year. So here we go!

Summer for me is a daily reminder in a world that moves entirely too fast that sometimes slowing down is just as necessary as checking of boxes on your to-do list. Summer days start late and end later. It's movie nights, Texas sunsets, sweaty faces, and little sweaty bodies of babies running after you because they've been cooped up in the house too long. It's basketball games in the driveway, sunlit afternoons in the swimming pool, and walking outside at night to greet the scent of night jasmine. It's working hard & playing harder, and learning to say 'no' so you can say 'yes' later.

It's the smiles on the little's faces when you say the words 'snowcone' and you remember when you were little and the world was easy and Awanas and Little League were the highlights of your week.

It's stopping long enough to take deep breathes and be incredible thankful that you are in THIS moment, with THESE people....because life will come later. You will round the corner & face a problem, or a trial, & it is these afternoons & late night phone calls that remind you why God is good, life worth living, and love worth doing.

All of these...summer and babies and kittens and phone calls and family and grillouts do more than make me happy....they bring me joy. Joy that makes problems seem smaller and God seem bigger. Problems that make obstacles overcomeable, days long, and the pace slow :)

.joy.