I love that the month of November causes us to pause and reflect on those things that we might otherwise take for granted. It's a month where social media feeds are full of reasons everyone is thankful. But, why can't we be thankful the other eleven months out of the year? Maybe we've replaced joyful with happiness. #guiltyrighthere Happiness is an outward expression of your current state. Joyful, on the other hand, is the internal state of your heart. Happy is an earthly personal experience. Joy is based on something much deeper. Joy is feeling spiritually connected to God and his people.
So, how can we be joyful always? Simply - it's a choice. It's choosing to see the good verses the bad, it's choosing to be the light and not stay in the dark, it's choosing to believe that God is good - it's choosing to be thankful - always!
Shelly and I would love if you joined us for our Attitude of Gratitude challenge. What does that mean? It's intentionally choosing to look for the good. See the good, do good, BE the good! We hope you will consider joining us each Thursday in the month of November and link up your posts on what you are thankful for. I'm pretty sure those same things bring you joy too! ;)
*Daylight Savings Time - While I'm not a fan of it getting dark so early, I was super grateful for the extra hour of sleep the morning after Halloween! ;)
*text messaging (and the laughs it provides) - my friend, Katy, has a gift. It's the gift of impeccable timing and the sending of GIFs. Seriously, I don't know how she does it but she ALWAYS makes me laugh!
*seeing your children happy - This time last year Holden was in the midst of a crappy school year. Her confidence was in the tank, her grades were low, and there was absolutely no joy. Fast forward a year and the same girl is SOARING! Her confidence is high (we joke that it might be a little too high!), her grades are improving, and she is FULL of joy! When I saw that things weren't going to improve last year, I prayed and prayed for a team of teachers this year that would truly "get" her. My prayers were answered and to see her smile each day when she comes home from school - well, that brings this mama lots of JOY!
*that the kids gave away (most!) of their Halloween candy - Let's just say we had a LOT of candy! So much candy that there was no way that we would have ever eaten it all. So, what's more fun that receiving? Giving!!! We joined up with some friends and took our Halloween candy up to A&M and passed it out to college kids that were studying! So.much.fun!!! Be sure and check out Katy's post to read more about our reverse trick-or-treating!
*my parents - I'm so thankful that they come in town for Aggie football games. My kids LOVE having them here. Even more thankful when they stay an extra couple of days! The kids love when they bring them lunch to school and come watch their football games!
*friends - Colby and his best friend, Dillon, go to rival schools. I'm so grateful that their friendship is greater than any competition. Watching these boys grow into men brings me joy (and sometimes they drive me crazy!).
*Election Day - super thankful for the right to vote!
*medicine - I've been sidelined this week with a sinus infection and am, oh, so grateful for meds!
It's not easy to "be joyful always" but, I've learned, it's always worth the effort!
What about you? What you you grateful for?
Now it's time to link up! The only rule we have is that you share original content and have an Attitude of Gratitude! So grab our button and link up today!
While not required, we would love you to follow us!
Holly - While I'm Waiting
Shelly - The Queen in Between
So THANKFUL you're here! Gig 'em and God bless!
Holly
Okay, I'm so all over this. You know I will be posting my Thankful Friday posts here each week. Something for you to think about, I've been thinking about starting a link up weekly with this theme the first of the year since my Thankful Friday posts seem to draw a lot of traffic. Would you consider co-hosting with me? I am intentional everyday/every week about giving thanks, not just at Thanksgiving time. Looking for someone who believes the same. Something for you to think about, no pressure. It is okay to say no and I will still love you!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI knew this would be right up your alley! ;) And, regarding your link-up idea - let's chat! I've been thinking about adding a co-host to my Waiting on...Wednesday link-up and maybe we can merge our ideas! Love it! Thanks so much for stopping by and for linking up!
DeleteVery nice friend....hope you feel better quickly!
ReplyDeleteThanks, friend!
DeleteOh my gosh I got chills reading your post. What a wonderful idea! I am actively going to start doing this and will definitely link up with you next Thursday! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kendra! We look forward to you linking up with us next week!
Deleteha we had the same idea! Great minds! <3 <3
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the reverse trick-or-treating! Also, the older I get, the more weirded out I get by trick-or-treating and how entitled(?) kids feel to getting candy from all of their neighbors. We weren't home most of the night on Halloween since we were traveling, but when I did get home, I was ambushed by kids asking if I had candy. Kind of scary haha!
Great minds for sure!
DeleteYour Halloween story does sound scary! The kids knew ahead of time that we were going to reverse trick-or-treat so they were on a mission to hit up lots of houses. More candy = more to give! So fun! Hope you'll link up with us again next week!
Love, love this!! I will for sure be linking up next week. It is an attitude and a choice to see the good and to have a heart full of joy. Being intentional about seeing the blessings helps us to experience the joy. I am so happy to have found your blog, you are spreading positivity and I am excited to see it spread :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind words, Julie! It's so easy to overlook those everyday blessings but I'm really trying to be intentional about giving thanks. I can't wait for you to join us! Have a super weekend!
DeleteAwesome post, Holly! This is my first time visiting and linking up with you and it has truly been a joy! Thanks so much for sharing and hosting, Love! GOD bless you! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tai! And, welcome! I'm so glad you're here! Thanks for linking up with us! I hope you'll come back next week!
DeleteWhat a great link-up! I love your button too. When we went trick or treating one girl was passing out her own candy because they ran out. Then all the little kids started giving her their candy. It was so sweet to watch kids paying it forward. Thanks for linking up at #100HappyDays!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Valerie! Oh, how I love your story! We hear so many stories these days about the bad stuff so I always love hearing about kids going above and beyond! And, proof that one act of kindness leads to many more! Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!
DeleteThank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting! Have a super weekend!
DeleteLove this idea. What a great way to spread gratitude and joy during this month. If we're doing it anyway, why not share it with everyone else, right?
ReplyDeleteI love what you and your children did to your Halloween candy excess. I know it's just candy, but it's such a great way to emphasize that giving is just as important as receiving.
Thanks so much for sharing this on #SHINEbloghop this week! It was so lovely of you to join us :)
Exactly, Maria! I love when other people list their blessings! Many times I will see something and think, "well, I would have never thought of that - but it's FABULOUS!". We all need each other!
DeleteThanks so much for hosting! I'll see you back again this week!
I am thankful for daylight savings time (and the extra hour of snuggle time with my husband) too! So glad I found your link-up and blog! I am new to Texas and its been fun finding Texas-based bloggers!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Texas, Elle! Glad you are here! I hope you'll join us Thursday for Attitude of Gratitude!
DeleteLOVE THIS! This is such a great idea and I am so happy that y'all are hosting this. I will be linking up on Thursday :)
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to you linking up with us on Thursday!!!
DeleteI am so with you on this! My friend and I are doing something similar this month. She hosts a Thankful Thursday link-up on the last Thursday of every month, but for November, we're hosting in every week.
ReplyDeleteI love how you differentiate between joy and happiness. Having a joyful heart IS something we can do all the time. It's all about perspective!
Thanks for letting me know about your link-up! I hoped over and joined! :) Perspective - it's so important for a thankful heart! Hope you are having a great day!
DeleteThanks, Holly, for sharing your heart at #IntentionalTuesday. : ) I love the idea of intentionally choosing joy. Some things I am thankful for: Snuggles with my dog Minnie, friends to mourn and celebrate with, my loving husband, and knowing God is always by my side. Sweet blessings, friend. : )
ReplyDeleteHi, Crystal! Thanks so much for hosting and for stopping by! Those are some great things to be thankful for! Hope you have a weekend filled with many things to be thankful for!
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