How to be Happy, Part 1

Do you ever have one of those days where you are so insanely happy that you just long to tell everyone about it? I am having one of those days. I cannot type fast enough to keep up with joy bubbling inside of me. If you are one of those people that can't stand reading about others being happy, you best look away now (ever notice how angry and sad rants get the most reads? Just sayin'). I am so excited in fact that I spent about five minutes wondering why I was so happy. Have you ever done that? There is no specific reason, nor does there need to be, life is meant to be enjoyed.

The Bible tells us that: Thou hast put gladness in my heart-Psalm 4:7

Today I am happy just to be. I looked back this morning and thought about my divorce that occurred a little over 2 years ago. If there was one word for how I felt that cold December, it definitely was not joy. Shattered would have been the descriptor. I was broken in so many ways. I think back to how I would drag myself through the motions of teaching and parenting during that season. Thankfully, it was such a short season, because God works in His own timing...not ours. Even I expected it to last much longer. I was hurting in such a way that I was ready to self-destruct. I had never really experienced the partying, wildness or wantonness that effects so many adult singles out there...because I was married through my twenties. I did not want any part of that world ever, had never even dated as an adult..., but I was in such an emotional wasteland that I thought bring it on. It was right on this brink that I met my sweet Barrett. The rest is history. The destruction that could have been, the mom that could've become the party girl, well it never happened. For this, I am incredibly thankful. 

I am so saddened when I look at the world today, and the pallor that has been brought to marriage, family and the home. Why do women speak so poorly of their spouses and of the children they have? Why do we always yearn for more, when we have enough? I am no religious scholar, but I know that I speak correctly when I say that this...THIS WAS NOT THE PLAN. I could speak until I am blue in the face, recount the hundreds (if not thousands) of times that I have heard spouses belittle one another while I cringed, the children that are left to feel like an afterthought or even worse completely unwanted, and the families wrecked by the constant attainment of MORE. 

Surely I am not alone in the fact that things could be a lot worse? In fact, I know that I cannot be alone in the fact that things are actually pretty great. In Part 2, I will give you a simple list of things that you can do daily to make sure that you are living a life full of joy. For me? I am elated to be a wife and a mama. I am excited to become a counselor (in a few years!), and I am happy to be on my way to becoming a volunteer at an organization I have respected. What brings you joy in life? Comment here or on my link. I'd love to hear from you.

Link to Part 2: How to be Happy, Part 2
-Sarah