Joy Journal

Joy that keeps on giving...

Years ago, I met Katie B. With her early morning, late evening commuting husband, Katie was holding her own raising four children. Unlike many (or most?) of us moms, rather than bellyache about how he needed to be home more, Katie wanted Geoff to know, to experience vicarously through her, the magic moments, the big and little things that our kids do and say that make us smile... that give us joy and sometimes maybe make us a little crazy.

This ever, clever woman started a Joy Journal.

A special book, written in every day, capturing special, kid-centered, Walter Cronkite "You were there" moments. At night, after the four children were in bed and they were too, Katie read the day's entry to Geoff. Her gift to him.

Her greatest gift to me was in sharing this lovely idea. Our circumstances were different, so the idea was adapted to make it work for us. Writing "when I could" versus every day; having Dennis write in it with little messages to the kids along with his reactions to what I had written about them; and, as they got older, sharing the entries with the kids. The joy and tears of laughter that these little stories and observations bring are truly priceless.

We think we'll remember these moments forever. We don't. You won't.

So how do you begin?

A stack of notebook paper stapled at the top will do.
Or a blank book available at bookstores. The form matters little.
What matters is to start writing.

EnJOY.

Another FABULOUS day

It has been over two years since I created a blog.

I did it purely for my MBA - I didn't know what a blog was back in Feb 2005. It seemed a good way to learn about them. It was. My dad, 89 at the time, wanted to know too. He did not create a blog, but he does do email!

The first few weeks were fun but disappointing. Of 5 or more friends, only one - Frister Kai - actually visited. (Frister = friend + sister. We have known one another for all 51 of my 51 years!) Now here it is two years later, and I am just seeing a response from 2005 from a park ranger in Virginia. I visited his blog and saw the details and joy in his engagement and close-to-wedding stories!

To stay true to my blog's title, Forever Joy, I will share my joyous moments and hope that they spark joy in you and/or your own joys.

Today's joy: The Soccer Shoe Presents Itself

Driving my youngest daughter to the nearly deserted soccer fields to find her missing-since-Sunday, first ever expensive soccer shoe. This, mind you, is after the "I know it isn't there" comments, the emailing to the entire team, the "I don't want to go" and having her dig through the not-so-joyful lost and found box. Disenfectant, anyone? As Molly said, "disgusting".

We drove to the last known sighting of the shoe. Reluctantly, she got out of the car, actually upset that I did not hop out the car to help. She walked the area, and lo and behold, found the shoe. As she came toward the car, I noticed her carrying the shoe as if it were the glass slipper. She was saying, "Mom, I found it, just like this" holding it upright as if it were on display. The joy on her face was a gift. She loves these shoes. They are hers, they honor her sport, and they are not hand-me-downs. She's 15 and the youngest of 5, so for those of you multi-kid parents, you know how this felt.

More joy stories soon!

Enjoy.