It’s not life’s job to make me happy. It’s my job to find the joy in life by observing and appreciating the small wonders and everyday miracles that are all around me, everywhere, every minute of my life. |
Paul Cotter  |
Beautiful words to live by.
The thought that it is my job to find joy in life was not realized until I started living the Simple Abundant life. That book opened a whole new world for me. I've written about it many times.
After The Captain and Kiki passed away, it is as if the world around me didn't exist anymore. Although I still lived my life with gratitude, it did not bring me joy.
The new grief phase made me realize that it was the world that I knew and lived everyday was gone and I knew I would have to create a new life for myself.
Joy would mean something different. Everything in my life is somewhat different, but I have finally realized this is my new normal and new joys in life would be experienced if only I would open my eyes to see them.
Now I appreciate the little things again like hearing the neighborhood roosters crow or hearing the sweet voices of the cardinals wondering if God brings them to me to experience joy again in my life. They have been here all this time.
Today was a sad day for some reason . . . they just hit me like a ton of bricks. It could be the holidays happening without them. Of course that is going to make me sad because I miss them terribly. But having gone through another day that slaps me in the face, I realize the miracle of having found joy again in little things in life that happen every day. And that brought me joy to know I have entered the grief phase of acceptance even though the sadness remains. Awesome memories keep them alive.
I have survived the awful grief phases . . . and that has become my everyday miracle.
