Joy

On Sunday evening Jenelle and I were paddling on the Savage. The air was a little frigid and as the sun set it got even colder. We were paddling pretty hard, allowing the extra effort to keep us warm. It was great to be out. The leaves are coming to an end but they are still hanging on to the trees and look beautiful! As we paddled I reflected back to when I was a kid. I absolutely loved fall. Along with that, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday! I loved everything about the season. The corn getting picked. The leaves turning color. The golden rod and cattails and milkweed and anything that came to head in the fall was ripening up. I loved hunting for rabbits and squirrels. One of my favorite memories is hunting for mourning doves on a misty, dreary and rainy cold fall day. I had my dad's .22 rifle and I was wearing a sheepskin leather vest. Standing behind a fencepost and waiting for a dove to land in the half dead spruce tree by the pasture had my full attention. It was one of those days that most people don't care for, but for me, I was on top of the world. I don't remember if I got any doves, but I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was excited and filled with joy just from being in that moment. It's hard to explain. It was more than happiness. The cold and wet didn't dampen my spirit at all. They enhanced it! It's one of those things about being a kid that we should all get better at holding onto.

I used to dream that one day I would live in a cabin. I'd have a wood stove with smoke coming out of the chimney. I imagined myself paddling a canoe across the lake and maybe hunting ducks or fishing, a couple of snowflakes drifting about and landing on my lips, cold and refreshing.

Those of you that read my blog often, probably think that we have the perfect life. But our life doesn't look a whole lot different than anyone else's. I just don't share all of the junk and so you mostly just get to read the good stuff. We have our share of woes. That being said, we do have it pretty good and for the most part our lives are filled with joy.

My house kinda looks like a log cabin. Not exactly how I used to imagine it, but close enough. Often I get to canoe with the most beautiful girl ever. That's a dream come true. Maybe it doesn't align with my dream of shooting ducks but what can I say? Here I am, canoeing with a pretty girl. Not only that, she's my wife, my forever friend.

When we got home Caleb and some of his friends were hanging out in the basement, playing games, eating pizza and pumpkin pie that we had made earlier. One of his friends showed me a picture of a nine point that he got the day before with his bow. He told me the story of the hunt and how they had to track it. I loved every minute of it!

Just like that kid forty-five years ago, I was feeling it! I was full of joy. Plum full!

Of course there are things that I wish were better in my life or weren't in my life. More money, a truck that was in better shape, a new car for Jenelle.

Those things would make us happier I'm sure, but more joyful? 

I recently heard that joy is like ice. You can pour water into any container and it will freeze to the shape of the container. We all have different lives. God pours his love into our lives and our joy comes from acknowledging him and being thankful for what he's given us. 

If those two things are what makes the water freeze then a few lumps and bumps in the mold won't matter. After all, ice is ice. 

May your container be full!