Searching for His joys throughout the day changes my perspective. I begin to see the blessings in my life and how the Lord is working. Joy refocuses my attention on the beauty the Lord is giving me for the ashes of broken dreams, anxiety, and fear. In these past two weeks, the Lord has poured out blessings in unexpected places. Everywhere, I’ve seen His hand from celebrating a birthday with a dear friend to a class trip to the “Gen and Mineral Show.”

     786) buds on the orange tree that was petrified by frost last year; the promise of fruit in the fall
     787) no buds on the lemon tree; another year to wait as the Lord makes all things beautiful in His time
     788) my student teaching another student how to make math arrays using brightly colored cubes
     789) hugs from my student
     790) working on the science project with my student–his enthusiasm each day as he discovered which liquid rusted the nail the fastest
     791) praying with my supervisor the day before surgery–warm hugs and tears
     792) comforting another co-worker who had received difficult news about a family member

     793) a class field trip to the “Gem and Mineral Show”–I supervised 5 of the most delightful and inquisitive children in our class
     794) sparkly quartz rocks, dazzling amethyst geodes, lapis, TV rocks, copper, and so many beautiful colors which God has placed on rocks and minerals beneath the surface of our earth

     795) celebrating a friend’s birthday at a restaurant that was “new” to us.
     796) laughter, fun, smiles, special treats

     798) shopping after lunch in girly kitchen “toy” stores
     799) oldest son taking me to school and picking me up for several days while the car was being repaired
     800) oldest offering me comfort on a day in which the anxiety was hard to control~one hand on the steering wheel, the other stroking my back
     801) two cars in the repair shop at once
     802) a job interview for oldest with a computer company, even though he did not get the job
     803) getting pelted with gropple as I dashed from the store to my car~gropple is a mixture of rain and sleet or hail but it is much lighter than hail.. Fun snow days in the desert.
     804) Girl Scout cookies to please the whole family~Thin Mints and Samoas
     805) a text from youngest
     806) a yellow and blue floral print on a Vera Bradley bag shown in an ad. It gave me a cheerful spirit

     807) chatting with a bank employee from a branch of the same bank that I once worked for. So many people we knew in common. Another joyful moment of sharing.
     808) yummy homemade Valentine’s cake
     809) grace and strength to make beef and noodle casserole.
     810) friends who continue to support me in prayer