Happy Leap Year. In honour of this extra day why not throw caution to the wind and post twice?
Last night I spent a long time talking with a distraught child about a horrific news story they were exposed to at school. In general, we shield our kids almost completely from global events (I limit my own news consumption to BBC headlines once or twice a week – the world can feel so very dark and I’ve decided to exert my mental energy spreading light and joy to those around me within my scope of influence.)
But, as they get older, they are less protected by our home bubble. It’s natural to learn more about tragic and heinous things that happen in the world, but it doesn’t make it any easier as a parent to navigate hard questions and a child’s incredulity and sadness and fear. Maybe especially because I feel those same emotions, too.
I say all that to preface that parenting moments like last night make me even more determined to look for little joys in daily life. This isn’t naivete about current events – if and when I’m able to exact change, I want to do so. But in the places I can most easily (and realistically) influence – my home, my network of family and friends and colleagues, and even this little online space – I want to focus on light.
This little light of mine, I wanna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Who’s singing with me?
A LITTLE JOY
It has been months since I posted about little joys and my intro to that original post holds true today:
Sometimes the littlest things can be the happiest of things if we just take time to notice.
Last night, a quiet interlude before big sister got home from youth group made space for little brother to become Head Mantle Decorator. He took this role very seriously. (The robe is probably my favourite part of the whole vignette – he loves a robe.)
The five dollars of new decor was money well spent. What a joy.
A GIVEAWAY!!!!!
I present my impulse purchases from the grocery store last night when I thought: it would be fun to do a giveaway on the blog sometime soon. Apparently, “soon” meant TODAY.
I opted for consumables. Roasted locally (a short drive from my house), JustUs* is Canada’s first Fair Trade coffee. Knowing some readers don’t love java, I’ve also included chocolate. (If you don’t like coffee or chocolate, well…I’m so desperately sorry. You are missing out. Maybe enter for someone who does?).
*Not sponsored or paid or perked or anything like that. I bought all these treats with my own pennies.
Here is what is up for grabs:
- Grand Prize: Your preferred bag of coffee (Tierra Madre is our favourite and what we consume at home…but how could I resist including an “Atlantic Blend” which just screams Nova Scotia and has a similar roast profile) + your preferred chocolate bar (Dark Chocolate or Dark Chocolate Mint).
- Second Prize: Your choice between the remaining bag of coffee and the remaining chocolate bar.
- Third Prize: Whatever’s left…
Two weeks ago we discussed the following passage at church, from Matthew 5:
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others…
I can’t resist including The Message translation of the same verses:
14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives.
To enter, share one little joy in your life recently. Let’s spread some light, my friends. Shine on.
- I’ll use the order of the comments for a numerical (randomized) draw. No shipping restrictions; I will mail these treats internationally!
- Comments will close next Tuesday (5 March).
mbmom11
A little joy this week was having a lovely talk with my son’s guidance counselor – finding about what might lie ahead. She really cares.
Lindsay
Oh, this grabs my heart. We are also cautious with wider world news, but as my girl gets older she is exposed to other inputs which has meant many heart to hearts about hard things <3 my little burst of joy were dropped-off Reese's Peanut Butter Cup from 3 different people in my office this week. I felt so seen!
Joy
My husband and I call these simple pleasures. I have two:
My cat crawled on the bed this morning and snuggled against my legs as I was reading my devotional. So warm and soft and comforting.
I brought my fountain pen to work and have been using it today in my planner. It writes smoothly in a pretty royal blue. It makes me happy. I think I need to carry it with me more often.
I love The Message version and agree that we should try to be light spreaders.
Sophie
Love this! My little joy this week has been butterflies! 🦋 it’s been a hot, humid summer downunder and not my favourite, but just the last few weeks we’ve had a butterfly explosion and it’s been wonderful! Blue one, yellow ones, black and white, there’s been dozens just in my yard. Stopping to watch them a while each day has been a real joy.
Meghan
My little joy has been snuggling and playing with our new puppy in the morning. This puppy was originally not such a joy since my husband decided to adopt him without consulting me, but the little guy has been growing on me in the month since we’ve had him.
Nicole MacPherson
Hide it under a bush – OH NO! I’m going to let it shine!
Wait, is it bush? That doesn’t make sense. Bushell? Bucket? What is the line here?
*considers deleting and starting over, just lets it all go*
I can only share ONE joy? Well, I am getting secondhand joy from your mantel. Is that ever the sweetest thing. I love it. A friend of mine made a little “egg tree” with wire and little Easter eggs hanging off of it, and it was so cute. Why am I not crafty? Ah well, my talents lie elsewhere. Something exciting that is happening around here is that my husband is building a bunch of garden beds out of cedar. We are starting to plan the garden, eeeee! I’m going to have SO much space. I really missed my garden last year, due to having to move in July, and I am SO excited to get things started. Please prepare for 10000000 posts about gardening forthcoming. I am going to have flowers outside the kitchen window and I think that’s where I’ll put the gnomes, so I can see them while making dinner.
Other joys: we are going snowshoeing tomorrow, Rex is at my feet right now, we are going to Vegas for our (early) anniversary in a couple of weeks, my older son is going to be TWENTY YEARS OLD this month (next month! March!), and I just got six new lotions from Bath and Body Works, they had that buy three, get three free sale.
Maria
Hmmm little joys … do they have to be little or can they be big? My parents and one sister and her kids and my in-laws all got to meet our youngest this week when they came for her baptism. And she got baptized! And our son turned two! The bigness of all that joy makes all the little things really pale in comparison.
Here are a couple little joys :
– discovering that my sister and I have matching socks (courtesy of our dad)
– finding new favourite books to read with the almost four year old
– a library book I’ve been waiting for for weeks came on hold
Amy D
Oh my-my oldest is almost 9 and I’m seeing that my time to filter her news is rapidly coming to an end….like you, I even limit my own news.
Small joys…hmm…getting a beautiful Easter skirt today for $15.
Finally being able to be outside with my kids as the winter winds down
Walking from my car to work and it being light out!!
Louisa
My little joy is my new routine of working from the library on Fridays. I discovered you can reserve a study room for up to three hours once a week. The sparse room is perfect for some focused work. After my time is up in the study room, I enjoy browsing for a bit and switching out my toddler’s book collection for the coming week. When he gets home from school, he is thrilled to see the new books and we curl up on the couch and read!
San
I can only imagine how hard it must be to explain a world to your kids that we adults often don’t understand. Sigh.
You surely are a light and joy for your family and this blogging community.
P.S. I love your mantle and how it’s decorated for Easter. At first, I thought, wait a minute, that looks like a Christmas scene – with L in the robe – but it’s an Easter decoration event. I love it 🙂
A little joy in my life right now, going for coffee with my co-worker once a week and sharing work and life stuff. It’s nice to get to know people better and as you know, I need some more local socializing buddies 😉
Steph
My little joy this week was taking my roommate’s dog for a long walk to a special-to-me park. She was so, so happy for the change in her route that she kept smiling at me. 🙂
Bonus joy: hosting a dinner party for people from church and having honest and vulnerable conversation!
Hana
I love focusing on little joys! Your seasonal mantle is such a sweet little joy.. My little joy this week has been my Tulip Magnolia and daffodils blooming. These first signs of spring (before the pollen comes!) are my absolute favorite. Plus, the Tulip Magnolia blooms in the absolutely most gorgeous shades of pink; I just sit on our back porch when I get home from work and stare around me at the beauty of all the fresh signs of life.
Kelsey
Coffee and chocolate giveaway?? Yes please!
A little joy for me this week has been planting new plants in two backyard garden beds. Spring is very much upon us here in central Arizona and it was so nice to work outside and bring some green to empty garden beds. Also, Maeve helped me and was such a sweet and fun gardening buddy.
I love seeing your mantle! I love how mantles are a simple space that you can easily change with the season. We don’t have a mantle or fireplace but Chris did build me a long shelf that is essentially a mantel in our dining room and I want to start decorating it for the seasons more.
KW
My children (9 year old twins) have learned how to make coffee, and if they get up before me, they make it! It’s the sweetest thing to have your kids do something genuinely sweet and actually helpful!
Ronni
My one little joy is having friends over for a Leap Day party yesterday!
Jenny
I agree wholeheartedly! There are so many things in the world we can’t change, but we can spread joy where we are right now.
I definitely had a week of ups and downs, but I had a really nice time on Wednesday (my day off.) I went to Barnes and Noble, browsed happily for a long time, bought a new notebook, and then sat in the cafe drinking tea and writing. I’ve decided to (belatedly) join in Gretchen Rubin’s “write 24 for 24.” I didn’t start in January but it’s never too late- and Wednesday was “determination day” where (according to Gretchen) you can reassess and double down on your New Year’s resolutions.
You’ve inspired me to get out my Easter decorations!
Ashley
We finally bought our son a Nintendo switch. It’s actually been really fun to all play against each other. They don’t really like the same tv/movies anymore but this is something enjoyable from the 4 year old to the tween.
Annie
My little joy is looking forward to our house being cleaned on Monday! It is an indulgence we invest in 2-3 times per year and I’m so ready for it!
Lisa’s Yarns
What a fun giveaway! I love coffee AND chocolate!!
It is really hard to shield kids from the reality of life. We were looking through Paul’s baby book with him last night and on the page where I was reflecting on the news of the day, the headlines that day were about a school shooting. I couldn’t skip past that page fast enough.
Today was a total joy. I loved spending a full day doing fun things with Paul. One of his fave parts? Riding the escalators at the mall! We did some extra ones since he’s so delighted by them (after getting over his fear of them).
Stephany
A little joy in my life was interviewing my mom for my podcast! It was SUCH a delight!
Anne
Oh, Elisabeth. Sending love to you and to the distraught child. I am distraught; I cannot imagine being a child in the world today and learning of the ways in which people treat each other. <3 Thank you for spreading love and joy – the smallest of flames can flare into a bright light for many. Light a single candle, after all…
A little joy in my life today? There are… wow, 3. I shall share two and save one for my own neglected blog:
* A family zoom with memories and happy news and reminders of the lovely ties of family.
* A text exchange with a friend in which I let her off the hook for bringing something to work tomorrow, and she texted back that she had already acquired said thing and would bring it anyway. <3
Sending joy and light your way. Also a bit of warmth, as we are having early-likely-false-spring. <3
Sabine
Little joy: seeing the spring flowers popping up everywhere (and in different combinations from one week to another).