I love to daydream about the future. It is so much fun to think of the life that we may one day have. A house of our own, money in the bank, a yard, a dog, and maybe we can have it all closer to family!
While planning and looking forward to the future is important and fun I think we need to focus more on the moment.
We need to find "joy in the journey". We can find joy and enjoy our life right now no matter our circumstances. We have been in Tennessee for 2 years now. We have been far from family. We have been very poor. Ty has been busy, but we have made some amazing memories!
There have been times when I wished we could be closer to family, but we have been able to establish ourselves as a family better than we could have had we been living closer to our relatives. We have celebrated holidays on our own and established some wonderful traditions. Ty and I have grown closer and have learned to rely on one another better than we did before.
Sometimes I wish we had more money. At first it was really hard to change my spending habits. Ty and I used to eat dinner out at least twice a week. In the beginning I missed Friday night pizza, but I soon started making my own pizza. It was easy to make and better than pizza we could order from elsewhere. I was able to cook more and become better at something that has always interested me. Clothing proved to be a challenge. The kids were growing so quickly and my clothes were getting very worn. New clothing can be so expensive. I became very familiar with our neighborhood goodwill store. I am now a major bargain hunter and our family looks great for very little money. I have also gotten together with friends and had clothing swaps where we can all get something for free. These activities help provide physical needs and strengthen friendships. I have often wished that Ty could be home more. He has to work so hard and the hours are long, but we really appreciate the time that we do have together.
I know that we can find joy in life despite the difficulties and challenges we face.
Ty will graduate in December and we will move on to a new set of obstacles and adventures, but for now we are learning to enjoy our life as is. We get out of life what we put into it. Each morning we can wake up and try again to make the day great. I recognize a difference when I try to make the best of our circumstances.
Make the most of your moments.
While planning and looking forward to the future is important and fun I think we need to focus more on the moment.
We need to find "joy in the journey". We can find joy and enjoy our life right now no matter our circumstances. We have been in Tennessee for 2 years now. We have been far from family. We have been very poor. Ty has been busy, but we have made some amazing memories!
There have been times when I wished we could be closer to family, but we have been able to establish ourselves as a family better than we could have had we been living closer to our relatives. We have celebrated holidays on our own and established some wonderful traditions. Ty and I have grown closer and have learned to rely on one another better than we did before.
Sometimes I wish we had more money. At first it was really hard to change my spending habits. Ty and I used to eat dinner out at least twice a week. In the beginning I missed Friday night pizza, but I soon started making my own pizza. It was easy to make and better than pizza we could order from elsewhere. I was able to cook more and become better at something that has always interested me. Clothing proved to be a challenge. The kids were growing so quickly and my clothes were getting very worn. New clothing can be so expensive. I became very familiar with our neighborhood goodwill store. I am now a major bargain hunter and our family looks great for very little money. I have also gotten together with friends and had clothing swaps where we can all get something for free. These activities help provide physical needs and strengthen friendships. I have often wished that Ty could be home more. He has to work so hard and the hours are long, but we really appreciate the time that we do have together.
I know that we can find joy in life despite the difficulties and challenges we face.
Ty will graduate in December and we will move on to a new set of obstacles and adventures, but for now we are learning to enjoy our life as is. We get out of life what we put into it. Each morning we can wake up and try again to make the day great. I recognize a difference when I try to make the best of our circumstances.
Make the most of your moments.
4 comments:
I loved this post. We have been married for 42 years(on the 28), and we still wish we had more money, a house, lived closer to family, etc., but what a life we would have missed if we only focused on those things. So often people get the attitude of "I'll be happy when------". That is so sad, because what if "when" never comes, and we missed out on "Man is that he might have joy". We also have grown as a couple and a family by learning to lean on each other and not necessarily on other family members. And, as we just saw with the flood, material possessions aren't what really counts, and we can't take them with us. I love Goodwill and bargain hunting. It makes me happy knowing that I can live well but not spend alot of money. And I have learned skills like refinishing a piece of furniture instead of buying new. I so admire you and your family. We should all take note of your perspective and apply it in our lives. We love your family. (sorry to take up so much space on your comment section.)
very well said and a wonderful reminder! i also love joyce's comment...so, so true! :)
Can I just copy and paste this on my blog? It is exactly what I feel right now. Sure it has been challenging, and I find myself daydreaming of a house at least once / maybe twice a day, but so many blessings have come with it that I wouldn't trade it for anything. Thanks for the reminder :).
I needed to read this right now. Thanks.
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