find your joy!

Nothing makes me more relaxed, peaceful and happy than a house that is clean and tidy. But if there is one thing I have learned with having a family of 7, clean and tidy does not always come so easy... or often!!! Yesterday, as I sat on my couch and basked in the warm rays of the sun, I watched my kids doing their homework {or lack there of} at the kitchen table and listen to them laugh, joke, sing, argue, complain, quarrel and call names. Voices were raised from time to time and there may have even be some physical lashing out. Dishes were piled in the sink, junk scattered on the counters, the floor was dotted with toys, pjs and odds and ends. I could see little dust bunnies speckled on the hardwood floors and a sticky little finger prints on the windows. And amidst all the noise, chaos and clutter I didn't seem to care. In that very moment, I loved my kids, I loved my home, I loved my family, I loved my life. They may have been a little naughty and it may have been a little messy but it was mine, all mine. My house, my kids, my family... my life and I love it!! If there is another thing I have learned with having a family of 7, is that the joy is endless. It may not always come with well behaved kids or a clean and orderly house but it is defiantly there. Just being together, just having each other, just being a family... that is joy!! As I count my blessings, I am reminded that they are endless and that they can be found every where. Joy in my life is every where and it can be found in every situation... I just have to look for it. WHAT IS YOUR JOY?