“Your success & happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, & your joy & you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” -Helen Keller

Here we are at the beginning of February & my heart is light. DESPITE the very reality of being exhausted because of x, y & z. Those include being pregnant, moving into our new home (which is chaotic & overwhelming), doing preschool each day with my littles, keeping a house running, cooking, cleaning, trying to remember to eat/shower/sleep. Oh & also subbing 1-2 days a week, doctor’s appointments & all the other “things”. Like buying doorknob covers & child safety gates & conquering Walmart with both my children literally covered up with heaps of toilet paper rolls & towel bars. It has been INSANE. But, all I know is this:

I’VE GOT A RIVER OF LIFE FLOWING OUT OF ME. SPRING UP OH WELL!

There is nothing sweeter than surrender, true surrender. Surrendering to the fact that being in control is not the best answer & letting go, letting yourself breathe & laugh & play really is the better option. We get to choose each day what our attitude is going to be, how FREE we are going to live. Somehow, in this crazy crazy season, I have been able to surrender & it has been life changing, life-breathing! Don’t get me wrong, I have had several REALLY hard days complete with tears, necessary hot cocoa consumption & Andy Griffith in order to recover. I’ve been a mess. BUT overall, somehow, (thank you Holy Spirit) I have been able to not only survive this season, but I have had WAY more joy & peace in the daily process of life than I should be able to manage. Let me tell you, I can FEEL that river of life within. That fountain of unrestrained hope & laughter. Those waves of refreshing within my soul that wash over me, over & over again. I could not do this without it. Without Jesus. Straight up.

Two nights ago, Noah & I stayed at our new house for the second time. It was weird, but way less weird than the first time. It is slowly starting to feel like ours. I was awakened in the middle of the night by the pounding rain, which is one of my favorite things. Not waking up in the middle of the night to it, but getting to hear that beautiful sound while resting from the world, that is wonderful. I laid awake after that because the wee one in my womb decided to have a little dance routine for quite awhile, blissfully unaware that it was the middle of the night. It was such a wonderful feeling. After a while, the tiny bebe decided it was time to go back to sleep &  in turn allow me the same opportunity, but it was well worth a bit of lost sleep. The miracle of life within, this time of a secret that only little one & myself are privy to, is just bliss. There is nothing like it. The moments like that, are what keep me full of joy no matter what my daily chaos may look like. I am so so blessed.

“When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food & for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.” -Tecumseh

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” -Buddha

If you are in a season of chaos, or maybe just in a bit of a funk, remember the river of life within! Remember that letting go is a better option, allowing yourself to float along the top of waves & just roll with them, to wherever they are headed. It has worked out better for me. Those days I sink are not the best. I guess Dory said it best with her famous, “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming!” That & her undaunted positive outlook. If you are in a place today where you could use a bit more joy, do a little dance in the kitchen with your kiddos. I’m not kidding! Shake it up & get loose. ENJOY YOURSELF. ENJOY TODAY.

Today is your day, friend.

“We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that.” -Ellen DeGeneres

 

Cheers,

Katie.