"It's the simple joys"...

The world is desperate for some joy, for a reason for laughter. The media bombards us with bad news and backbiting.  Then there are the pressures of normal life.  Too often we push through our day weary and worn and bruised from the bumps that this life gives.  I think that's why Chewbacca Mom is a world wide sensation.   We all need the good medicine of a genuine belly laugh.

For a few weeks now, I've been feeling the weariness, the heaviness.  Like Chewbacca Mom, I've found it's the little things, the simple joys, that are like an energy drink for the soul.  Here are some of the recent simple joys that have bolstered my spirits.

• Going on a brisk walk and having a gut level honest talk with Jesus about what's weighing on my mind.
• Sharing a big bowl of popcorn and an icy cold diet coke with my husband, propped up in our bed and watching a favorite movie together.
• A spur of the minute invitation on an ordinary Tuesday evening to hang out with a friend, and realizing that laughing with a girlfriend was exactly what I needed.
•  Lighting a candle on a gray, rainy Saturday morning to make the house seem cozy and baking a rich chocolate cake, then having a houseful of people over on Sunday afternoon to eat it.
• Spending time with the grandkids.  (And wondering why, oh why our just turned two year old grandson who has known how to say Papa and Nana since he was one now refuses to say either of those words and refers to BOTH OF US, much to Papa's dismay, as "Nonnie".)
• Going to morning exercise class at the church, my friend and myself being the only two "women of a mature age" that attend the class, and being able to laugh at ourselves when we can't quite keep up with the moves.
• Texts with a friend who understands.
• A phone call with a friend who I haven't talked to in too long.
• Watching the wild bunnies in our yard nibble on the dandelion weeds that have sprung up in our flowerbeds.
• Talking on the phone with my big brother.
• Watching two western scrub jays, (I think that's what they are), that live in the spruce in our backyard and like to perch on top of our arbor.
• Group texts from our daughters that can go on and on with photos and funny comments.
• Worship music playing in our home.
• Comforting a friend who is mourning, and realizing that there is joy in bearing another's burdens.
• Suddenly thinking about several silly songs that I learned from my usually no nonsense, very practical Mama. ("Jeepers Creepers Where'd You Get Those Peepers", "Mares Eat Oats and Does Eat Oats and Little Lambs Eat Ivy", "Everybody Loves A Baby That's Why I'm In Love with You" to name a few).  

Maybe we can all learn a lesson from Chewbacca Mom.  When life gets you down, look for the simple joys, and if you can't find any, do what she did and make your own.

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