Finding Joy
December 6, 2019
In the last few weeks I have watched my daughter and my son take immense joy in celebrating the holiday season. It’s the little things that brighten their day—like the dancing snowman, holiday treats and movies, putting ornaments on the tree, and snow.
It’s hard to not experience joy watching them celebrate, and yet…
If I am being completely honest, the last few weeks have been hard for me—both physically and mentally. I thought my water broke about two weeks ago. That caused anxiety. I have been having contractions in the evening and through the night, both painful and not painful. That caused sheer exhaustion. I have been resting a lot in the afternoons. That caused boredom and loneliness.
I am having a hard time finding gratitude in this season of my life, and yet …
I know this new baby will be one years old before I know it. And then three years old. And then five years old. And if I don’t stop and appreciate it—all of it—and cherish it, I will look up and I will have missed it.
I would like to say there was a moment where a shift happen. All of a sudden I started appreciating it all, but that isn’t the way life works. It is a work in progress. I am actively working on enjoying this season of my life, and taking joy in celebrating the small things—the looks on my kids’ faces when they see holiday lights, the movements from the baby in my belly, my husband doing the grocery shopping, and the ability to sit in a coffee shop with a peppermint hot chocolate and write these words.