My Word for 2016.

New years resolutions have never been "my" thing. I am a girl that never likes to feel defeated and failure is something that makes me cringe like the sight of bubblegum underneath a table (yes, I despise bubblegum.) So I typically never make a new years resolution. Don't get me wrong I would absolutely love to become better at budgeting because there is no better phrase than I completely stink at it. I would also love to loose ten pounds before we may or may not try for a baby .. in God's time. I also would like to pay off certain amount of bills. But life happens, and a lot of time new years resolutions just don't work out. So, a  few years ago I started making a, "Word of the Year."

This Word of the Year, is something that helps me to remember how to live from day to day. I blog about it, I add it into my daily life, and I pray over this word throughout the year. This year I felt as if I needed a word to remind me of happiness. Trails and triumphs had laid heavy within my heart. I dealt with a lot of sadness for others and stories of heartache just laid differently than ever before on me. I believe with our own family heaviness, then so many other cruel things in the world I needed a word that remind me of what the Lord promises.

Joy.

The definition of joy is; a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.

So throughout this year I am going to strive to remember the joyful moments. There may be moments where I wish to curl up to try cry it out for a while, but each day I shall remember the good.

This year, Charli Beth and I have started a Joy Jar. Each night after we finish our devotional, we will write a joy moment from the day. It can be anything from a smile, a moment of laughter, compliment, or test. These little slivers of papers will remind us at the end of the year a moment of everyday where joy was brought into our lives.

While I can take absolutely zero credit for our Joy Jar, I will say that I am very excited to do this project.

Fourth grade has been exceptionally tough this year. If I remember correctly, I had many {many} other parents warn me of the task of transition we were going to enquire this year. While I believe that Charli has done well, she has also struggled in being a student of an overly full class or following along in certain areas. Not only will my Joy Jar project brighten my day, I have hopes that it will also point out the moments of this year where Charli has punched fourth grade in throat, and overcame the battle of it all; good test scores. 

More than likely I have some crazy distorted feelings tonight due to a steroid shot I received this afternoon for a sinus infection but I feel a lot of anxiety over this year. I feel a little more than crazier than I ever have coming into a new beginning. We made an offer on a house that we both were excited for, although at this time they have decided to pull it back from the market. To say it lightly we are both ready for our new start but we are also learning many lessons of patience and even more so that God's timing is perfect in every way.  My Dad is beginning a new clinical trial at Sara Cannon Cancer Center in Nashville next week. The treatment is so new, that it doesn't even have a name or a list of side effects/symptoms. I mean what's there not to worry about, when the big guy doesn't even seem anything but hopeful himself? Sheesh.

But, from this point forward I hope to no longer cringe at these thoughts and rejoice within the moments that will be added to my ever so clever Joy Jar. Because let's face it Pessimistic Paige could totally use a reminder of what kind of joy there is in this crazy wonderful world, that we so are blessed to live in.