A year ago, today, I lost my Daddy to a heart attack.
A year ago, today, I lost my voice.
My desire to write and share was silenced.
Granted, I was never the most together blogger. Sometimes posts would go a month (or twelve) apart. But, of all my readers, one was always faithful. My Dad. He was always there...encouraging me...waiting in anticipation until the newest post finally appeared. Every time I logged on to write over this last year, the words just wouldn't come. I tried. And would stare at the screen and sob because everything just reminded me of Daddy. So, the silence continued.
Until Today. I feel like on this year anniversary, my Dad is saying to me..."It's okay." It's as if the countdown to this day has been weighing me down so much that now I feel like I've finally been able to breach the surface of the suffocating pool of sorrow and can breathe again. Just a little...but the breath is there...and it is enough. And so...the journey begins again. It may still be riddled with gaping holes and periods of nothingness. It may be that words flow more than ever. I don't know. What I do know is that today is a new day. A new time. A new beginning.
With that new beginning comes a new blog. I love my original blog, "Oh Happy Day", (and you can still access it by clicking the tab with that title at the top of this page) but I need to close that chapter. So...Growing Joy Daily. Why that title? I saw that phrase "growing joy" somewhere years ago. I can't remember the source now, but it resonated with me then and in particular now. (My apologies to whomever I lifted the phrase from.) I've learned this year more than ever about joy. Joy is so different from happiness. Joy is not dependent on daily ups and downs. It is a constant. I can be in the depths of sorrow and still find Joy. How is this possible? It is simply this...my Joy comes from my Savior. It comes from knowing Jesus and resting in Him. I believe Joy is something that is born within you the moment Christ becomes Savior of your life. As I've leaned on Him over and over through the loss of my Dad, I've learned that His Joy is something I want more and more of in my life. My goal is to strengthen and grow that Joy daily as I walk with Christ through my every moment! It is my prayer that I will foster that desire for His Joy in the hearts and lives of my children and that we will be living reflections of His love...His mercy...His grace...And yes, His Joy...to all we meet- regardless of the circumstances our lives may be in at any given point in time.
So, this blog will be a lot of things...mostly...it will be my heart. The things that make me smile. That might mean posts on events in our lives, posts about my children or family, Bible verses, things God is showing me, movie reviews, music I love, crafts, cooking and who knows what else :) But I know this for certain, my Daddy would be proud that I'm writing again. And I hope that you will share this journey of life with me...just as he would have.
~Live Fully*Laugh Loudly*Love Deeply*Grow Joy Daily
A year ago, today, I lost my voice.
My desire to write and share was silenced.
Granted, I was never the most together blogger. Sometimes posts would go a month (or twelve) apart. But, of all my readers, one was always faithful. My Dad. He was always there...encouraging me...waiting in anticipation until the newest post finally appeared. Every time I logged on to write over this last year, the words just wouldn't come. I tried. And would stare at the screen and sob because everything just reminded me of Daddy. So, the silence continued.
Until Today. I feel like on this year anniversary, my Dad is saying to me..."It's okay." It's as if the countdown to this day has been weighing me down so much that now I feel like I've finally been able to breach the surface of the suffocating pool of sorrow and can breathe again. Just a little...but the breath is there...and it is enough. And so...the journey begins again. It may still be riddled with gaping holes and periods of nothingness. It may be that words flow more than ever. I don't know. What I do know is that today is a new day. A new time. A new beginning.
With that new beginning comes a new blog. I love my original blog, "Oh Happy Day", (and you can still access it by clicking the tab with that title at the top of this page) but I need to close that chapter. So...Growing Joy Daily. Why that title? I saw that phrase "growing joy" somewhere years ago. I can't remember the source now, but it resonated with me then and in particular now. (My apologies to whomever I lifted the phrase from.) I've learned this year more than ever about joy. Joy is so different from happiness. Joy is not dependent on daily ups and downs. It is a constant. I can be in the depths of sorrow and still find Joy. How is this possible? It is simply this...my Joy comes from my Savior. It comes from knowing Jesus and resting in Him. I believe Joy is something that is born within you the moment Christ becomes Savior of your life. As I've leaned on Him over and over through the loss of my Dad, I've learned that His Joy is something I want more and more of in my life. My goal is to strengthen and grow that Joy daily as I walk with Christ through my every moment! It is my prayer that I will foster that desire for His Joy in the hearts and lives of my children and that we will be living reflections of His love...His mercy...His grace...And yes, His Joy...to all we meet- regardless of the circumstances our lives may be in at any given point in time.
So, this blog will be a lot of things...mostly...it will be my heart. The things that make me smile. That might mean posts on events in our lives, posts about my children or family, Bible verses, things God is showing me, movie reviews, music I love, crafts, cooking and who knows what else :) But I know this for certain, my Daddy would be proud that I'm writing again. And I hope that you will share this journey of life with me...just as he would have.
~Live Fully*Laugh Loudly*Love Deeply*Grow Joy Daily
Beautifully stated and how appropriate to begin anew today. Your daddy did love reading your blog posts and he would be so proud of you ! He loved us all and supported each of us in all our endeavors. He was our biggest fan !
ReplyDelete