Four-Legged Friends

This last year our family lost 2 of our four-legged friends. Sydney Bear and Prince Shilo. Both of them lived long, happy, healthy, and well loved lives. They will be missed dearly. Sydney (16.5 years) and Shilo (17 years) both helped raise our kids.

For you Megan, Calvin, and Katie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrHKAx9FutA

Love, Mama

Music by:

“I will be your friend” – Amy Grant

“Embrace me” – Frank Sinatra

Joy

Joy is Universal

Attending a Google Summit all weekend you would think that it would be a geek fest. Well for some I am sure it was. I love learning new things that Google has to offer so attending this conference I was open to the classes that were offered and ready to absorb all the good nuggets that were applicable to my job. Little did I know that the keynote speaker would strike a chord in me during his opening talk. Joy. He spoke of joy in the classroom, teaching, workplace, and life. His title “Is joy even a thing anymore?” resonated with me. I found it interesting that this topic of Joy has been moving through my being for quite some time.  He also stated that “The average 4 yr old laughs 300 times a day and the average 40 yr old laughs 4 times a day.” Very interesting. As we age, we take things way more seriously. We need to remember to embrace joy. It is universal. It is contagious. It is genuine. Laughter is the explosive expression of joy.

I find myself in a state of joy staleness. The places we have traveled to and lived in have tapped into my senses and drawn out parts of my being that I never thought possible. Mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotional. I am going out on a limb here so just bare with me as I bare my soul.

Marty and I have made 3 big moves during our time across the world over the last nearly 5 years. It is romantic, adventurous, scary, lonely, beautiful, new, and unknown. As I write this I am listening to the album I listened to over and over before heading across the world to Nepal with my love. February Birds. Every one of the songs touch my soul. It is an album that gives me peace in times of uncertainty and also joy. I have several favorites, “Live differently”, “Mercy Walks”, “You say” and the one that has been touching my heart as of late is “Quiet my heart.”

This 3rd move has been different than before. Why? You may ask. I am still trying to figure that out. I was so thankful to read this article from our HS psychologist just recently.  The topic is  “Transitioning to life abroad – The stages.”  I define my current space as stage 4. I think this “transitions” article can apply to anyone who has moved or is moving away from family and friends, or entering a new job and surroundings. It can be so disorienting and you can’t define the process in words. It takes time and patience.

Each year during the Fall I seem to come up with a word to be my focus for the year. In the past it has been words like Peace, Hope, Patience, Wisdom, Forgiveness, New Beginnings, Grace, Health, Explore, Change…a few examples. I would share these topics that were on my heart with my husband and kids. Kind of for accountability and also for discussion around the dinner table. What does that particular word mean and how can I incorporate it in my daily life? The words have taken me on great journeys. Some of them have been joyful and some have been painful.

How does this all tie into this writing? Well after hearing the opening talk from the keynote speaker this weekend it was confirmation to me that my word this year is Joy. The word Joy has been on my heart and mind for the last two years. My joy has been muffled. It may surprise some because I humbly find joy as one of my strengths. I love joy. It is imbedded in my soul and being. Right now I am getting reacquainted with joy. I have missed her. She is my best friend.

The last two years I have been unable to write. Fear has gripped me. Mostly because my emotions have been in a state of pause. I have been on autopilot. However, with my emotions on pause, joy met me when I needed her the most. I love people. Relationship is vital in life. When I am with people, joy is there to greet me and she gives me strength. She helps me extend myself to others. She gets me out of my comfort zone and pulls me to those who need to experience her. She digs deep in me to find laughter to pour out and share with others. She is my friend. Now, in this new place of living I am learning to push play on my emotions again and joy is encouraging me to open up.

Joy and fear are not meant to live together. I choose joy. Joy is genuine. It’s light illuminates like a spark ignites a fire. Joy is vital to life. Joy is a gift.

As I roll into a new year with the complexities of a new location, home, climate, culture, friendships, rhythm, and experiences I choose to invite joy to come along for the ride. She will remind me to look into the eyes of the people and see their souls. She will remind me to smile when I hear a child giggle. She will remind me to see the moon again with a full heart of thankfulness. She will help me stop and breathe in the fragrances of life. She will help me to learn new steps as I figure out this new dance in job, location, and culture.

When I think of one word to define each location we have lived, this is what comes to mind…Nepal – awakening, Tunis – fear (unsettled)…that was a hard one to type, Singapore – overwhelmingly efficient and clean.

Nepal – Awakening. I find myself talking about our time in Nepal, as hard as it was at times,  with a smile on my face. When I see photos of us and friends in that location, I see joy. Joy was present in this most interesting place on the planet. I saw joy in the people. I felt joy in the learning. Life was hard and simple at the same time. We found joy in this woven tapestry of color and culture. I have written so much about our experience previously on my blog. Feel free to read about that special time. Joy is diverse and intricate.

Tunis – Fear (unsettled).  I know the more I explore in my mind the time that we had there, the pleasant times will surface like cream floats to the top of a still cup of coffee. The dark times will swirl around and be enveloped in the fullness of the pleasant memories. Right now, I must set that experience aside and step away but be sensitive to the triggers that may cause me to hide. I am still defining those triggers. They come up at the most interesting times. It will be a journey. The close friends we met along the way in this location will forever have a special place in our hearts. We experienced a shaken time of uncertainty and protectedness.

So in the mean time, I invite joy. Joy in the overwhelming new rhythm of the high energy, efficient, fast pace of this new place.

Here’s to a new journey discovering joy.