“A happy heart makes the face cheerful….” Proverbs 15:13

So I’ve been reading 1000 Gifts with a group of women at my house every Friday and I’ve read it before and could read it a million times. My book is weathered, filled with underlined revelations, humbled teardrops, and I’m sure some forehead marks where I’ve slammed my head down into the pages.

The book is about pursuing thankfulness in every season and seeing the world through eyes of humbled gratitude and “eucharisteo“.

I’ll jump right to the point. I’ve been struggling with a thankful and cheerful heart. I’ve been… well, just struggling. I could blame it on the fact that I’m solar-powered and live in a place where the sun doesn’t really shine except in the summers but the cold hard truth is, it shouldn’t matter. I should be joyful, grateful, and shaking my head in disbelief of my blessings all the time. 

So, the past 2 weeks I’ve been going through a major heart change. I’ve been experiencing joy like never before, even when I have to chase it down with all of my strength.

It was a chilly day on Saturday but we bundled up and went in search of beauty. I found it. I didn’t find it in a breathtaking view of the mountains but I found it in the laugh of my boy throwing rocks, the sound of geese over my head, watching my love hold the hand of his boy, and the sound of gravel crunching under my boots. I found it and I am trying to get up each morning with eyes to search for it even in the cloudiest or darkest of days.