Celebrate - Joy

The New Year is such a great time to reflect on the previous year and look ahead at the year to come.  January of 2019 I had been stuck.  After several struggling months (or years rather) of not being able to do much (mostly sleep and feed my children), and with very strict eating habits (in hopes it would help improve my state which meant more work and isolation), it was a constant struggle of fighting the negative voices in my head.  The ones that want to feed the spirit of feeling sorry for myself, at seeing all that I CAN'T do and be, while life keeps on spinning leaving me feeling out of the party.

Thinking through my mindset, I searched to what was the opposite of the gloom ball that often surrounded me.  I landed on the word CELEBRATE. I knew in my soul that no matter what my circumstances looked like, I wanted to choose joy. The type of celebration may be different than what I imagined would be the case in the past, but there are rainbows to found and appreciated each day that I needed to turn my eyes toward and focus on.  Perhaps one day that meant being thankful for getting to spend a few minutes in the sun, or that my children were so gracious to me in my struggling state and loved to snuggle with me in my bed, or having friends that accepted me in my state of such neediness.  There are reasons to celebrate.

I took note of when it was mentioned in the Bible while reading through it during the year.  What does the Lord have to say on such?  I know that there is much I need to gleam on the subject. Jesus was so gracious in showing me some of the small things, and I continued to count my blessings.

There were many a party to go around this past year. The kids have not had a birthday party in many years (my health could not handle it in the past), and this year of celebration they were each able to have one!  I, also, got to celebrate my big 40 in a castle.  Well, perhaps a miniature version but the closest thing you can get to it here in South Carolina. 

Little did I know of what HUGE things the Lord would have in store for us to celebrate! By faith he had me book a work trip for Beach and I to Guatemala, and then when March rolled around I was well enough to go. It was a beyond fantastic time.  My heart was so full being able to connect with some of our coffee farmers and brokers and seeing this glorious country!

Then, the largest thing of all, God gave us a building. He lead us through every scary step along the way (more on that later), towards what we had been working towards for years in the business. It is crazy how He does things!

While my health is still up and down most days, I continue to try to chose joy and celebrate all that the big and small Lord has done for me!