JOY radiates within me

I have a word that I picked way back in January (only a few blogs ago-LOL).  It is JOY!

I found this in my Daily Word for October and wanted to share as it hits the nail right on the head. If you know me, you will shake your head and agree that this is me. 

 

 

The spiritual gift of joy is like a candle burning eternally within my heart. Just as each sunrise illuminates the earth with warm hues, joy lights me up from the inside out.

Sights and sounds spark my awareness of joy. Hearing the beat of a favorite song, seeing the beautiful fall foliage, feeling the touch of a loves one’s embrace- all of these things ignite a spark within me.

Whenever I feel darkness in my life, I mediate on the joy in my life. As I reflect, the joy within my heart grows. I feel it’s like the sun warming my entire body. It sends tingles to my arms and legs. I cannot help but smile as joy radiates within me. God is present and I am grateful

 

 

I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete- John 15:11

Memories from a song....

BJ Thomas: "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"

I think my Memere and Pepere got me a little ceramic music box when I was little. It resembled a "Precious Moments" type of baby that was sleeping with its bum up in the air.  I have a picture of me in this pose and I guess they thought it looked like me. 

The song the music box played was BJ Thomas: "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head".  I saw something on Facebook today about that song.  I think it said 1972 which would make me 6 years old. That is about right.  I would take this music box and stuff it under my pillow so I could listen to it and fall asleep. I still love rain. The sound, smell and the way it washes away the dirt.

It might of also been to drown out voices of sisters Maureen and Janet, who also shared the bedroom with me. Wow another memory of one big bedroom with three twin beds in it.  Looking back now...I have no idea how my parents did it. So very thankful for all their sacrifices and hard work it took to raise seven children.  I was watching "Walburgers" TV show about Mark and Donnie Walburg who are famous actors/singers.  They were from Dorchester, MA and family of nine. The last episode I watched had Donnie talking about sharing a bed with his brother. Not because he wanted too...they had to. 

I laughed knowing how big families operate and how valuable "space" is.  I know that's the reason I love to do laundry is because of the alone time and "space" I had to be away from all the sisters and brothers.  Then I think of my friends who did not grow up in large families or were only child in family and missed these moments.  It's not any better or worse than how I was raised, but I know I am who I am today because of the family I have and the way I was raised. Just wish they could of experienced this type of family dynamic. Maybe through me...they do!

more Joy

Psalm 30:11 NIV
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

Hearing the word Joy in The Word was very uplifting today. Pastor Ron said to turn our mourning into dancing and to turn our sorrow into JOY.

EXACTLY !!!

March is not JOYFUL

I get moody in March. It has been that way since my Dad died on March 2, 1979.  My spirits then lift up when I know it's my Godchild/niece Molly's birthday.  She always brings a smile to my face. Then I find myself sulking because it is still winter and I am sick of the gray-ness of everything. I want to see some color! So I break out the kelly green and plaster it around with shamrocks everywhere. Why not? I'm an O'Malley and shamrocks make me smile. I wear one all the time just to make me smile.

St. Patrick's Day is another March day that I am very moody. On the one hand its festive and fun and get to honor my Irish heritage of being a 5th generation Irish-American. But on the other hand I have such WONDERFUL memories of the two biggest Irish influences in my life that I have lost. My Dad and my oldest brother John. John was so well known in our city for his Irish heritage, that a local Irish pub painted his picture on the outside wall.  Yes we O'Malley's are known for hanging around Irish pubs a time or two. I guess growing up at O'Malley's Tavern helped!  That is where I remember Dad and his Irish steins and the smell of beer and cigarettes. It's those memories that come back to my mind around March 17th and I get sad at losing the two most influential men in my life.

I feel so empty without them sometimes.  I would give anything for one more hug, kiss or laugh.
My best friend said: "God just wanted the best St's to be with him so he took them in March"

 “Things never go the way you expect them to. That's both the joy and frustration in life. I'm finding as I get older that I don't mind, though. It's the surprises that tickle me the most, the things you don't see coming.”

― Michael Stuhlbarg

Joy Filled Life

Lord, I know that You have promised to give me everything I need to live a joy-filled life. Thank You for Your blessings, and help me to live a life of joy beginning today. In Jesus' name. Amen.

#myoneword

#myoneword

“Finding a New Kind of Resolution” by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen was on HIS Radio this morning.

That was ironic that it was the day after I posted my “Word of the Year” on my blog yesterday. You might be wondering why even pick a word versus various resolutions.

“It’s better to do something about ONE thing, than nothing about EVERYTHING” said Mike Ashcraft.

They had great ideas on how to pick your “Word of the Year”.

First you should be journaling and writing down your thoughts. You would need to then think of the person you would like to be and describe those traits or characteristics that you see in others that you want for yourself. Make a list of about twenty words and then leave it alone. Let it sit while you think about it. Take it out and look it over, think again and pray on it.  Narrow it down to 3-4 words. Now you can look up in dictionary and thesaurus.  You can find acronyms, synonyms, and search the Bible. Pick Scriptures with the words you have left and see which one “speaks” to you best.

I looked up JOY in dictionary this morning and the three definitions that speak to me are:Cheerfulness, pleasure, happiness.

I want to live my life this year as those three things.

Links:

http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/5601073-2-good-deals

http://www.rachelolsen.com/finding-a-new-kind-of-resolution

Late or tardy

I might be a few days late but I am a great procrastinator. "procrastination leads to exasperation". I guess that should be one of my New Year’s resolutions. I hate being late! If I am late to work- there is a reason why.  I logged in yesterday morning but had to use bathroom.  I have to email my boss in TX that I am here at work.  It helps confirm my log in time in case I forget to log in.  Well by the time I emailed her it was 8:12 and told her I had to use the bathroom. She replied “TMI” lol. If it is8:12 and you have not heard from me, something is wrong.  Either my cell phone is home and I can’t text you that I’m late or I’m stuck in bathroom. LOL  I really HATE being late.

I am the one who sits quietly in church ahead of time, usually saying my rosary or prayers in peace. I do not arrive at 8:12am expecting to find a seat and then disrupting Mass. I also am always early for Dr. appointments, or arranged time to meet up with friends. If I am late….reach out to find out why.  It’s not in my nature to be late. 

Get Your Joy Back

My word of the year 2015
I have a word that is going to be my “Reflective Word of the Year- 2015”  It is JOY.

Scripture says: “…weeping may last through the night, but JOY comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5,NIV

When I wake up every morning, I will try to have JOY and usually I do.  I am very joyous for a new day and new adventures.  You can decide to wake up and be JOYful or you can choose to be miserable.  I find the word JOY a lot this time of year. Like the song “JOY to the World”. It usually is tied together with Peace and Love.  Seems only natural for three (holy trinity) attributes to be linked.  God fills my life with JOY but also Peace and Love. I put a smile on my face and choose to live my life as a happy person and try to spread the JOY  Nothing is more satisfying than to make someone else smile.  Why are people negative, grumpy, discouraged, sour  and depressed?  They are ALIVE!  There is life running through their body and it may not be the best body, but it’s a chance to make the most of life.  I love the movie “SCROOGE” with Albert Finney.  Just watched it for the last time this season on New Year’s Day.  The ending where he says, “I will live my life…as if it were my last.” Always shows me that as miserable of a man that he was, he saw the chance to change and begin again.  Such a great story. I choose to live my life as if it were my last. I love life and will keep smiling. 

JOY TO THE WORLD!!