Joy In The Storm

​This morning I felt no joy as my husband and I were sitting in front of the fireplace watching the snow on April 15.

We are ready for warmer weather, our family is not able to be together because of Covid, we just read that we should take down our bird feeders which bring us so much joy because of Avian flu, and we are coming up on the first anniversary of our son’s death.  

It was easy to slide down the slippery slope of stinking thinking. 

A couple of hours later, photo memories from April 2019 popped up on my phone.  

On April 14 we had a snowstorm that dumped 22 inches of snow on us. We had just moved into our new home a couple of weeks prior, and this was the first snow in our new house. It was so exciting! Right down to our first experience living in a townhome where they shovel everything for you, including the front steps!  

My son was living with us, and my daughter and her husband decided to spend the storm with us—our first sleepover in the new house. We cozied up around the fireplace I had dreamed about having for so long. It was fun to wake up and cook breakfast on that snowy morning with nowhere to go and family around us.  

Today I was reminded about the power of perspective.  

The snow was pretty. We need the moisture. The birds have plenty of food in the wild, and I can help them by taking my feeders down. I have some good memories of my son in this house.  

Finding joy or being resilient doesn’t mean we don’t feel sad or angry or avoid bad thoughts.  

It isn’t something that just happens when things are good. It is something we choose to practice.

​To find joy today, I pulled these Affirmations: 

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1. You can feel all your feelings. It's ok to be upset or sad about what is happening.  
2. You can think and feel at the same time. We choose how we think about an event and how much energy we want to give the sad feelings.  
3. You can be creative, competent, productive, and joyful. We can practice finding the blessing in the storm.  

 
If you struggle to find what is good, that’s okay. You can get help by finding a therapist, a friend, a coach, or other inspiration that works for you. 
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