Tag Archives: joy

One Change at a Time

I have a long list of resolutions this year. I have big plans for 2013 and know that there will be many life changes along the way. At first glance my list of resolutions might be a bit overwhelming. There are a lot of positive changes I want to make in my life, but instead of tackling them all at once, I am going to focus on them one at a time. First and most importantly, I am going to work on finding joy in the here and now. I have a lot to be grateful for and while I … Continue reading →

Find the Joy

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In Relief Society this past Sunday, our Relief Society President announced our ward’s theme for 2011. “Find the Joy”. Our President referenced the talk by President Monson titled, “Finding Joy in the Journey“. He gave this talk in 2008, but it is something I definitely need to be reminded of in 2011. I am not one to make New Year’s resolutions. I have in the past, but I often don’t think much about them after setting them, so it hasn’t really served me well. So, I guess, I don’t take them too seriously. However, this past week, I have been … Continue reading →

Decorating the Christmas Tree

We finally got our Christmas tree on Thursday. Because it’s a real tree and summer here in Australia we can’t afford to buy the tree too early. A week is about right. Given the cost of them this year, possibly because of the drought that covers 80 percent of Australia, it’s a smaller tree than usual. Couldn’t justify the extra expense to get a bigger one. Anyway, it’s still got that Christmas tree smell. Putting the Christmas tree up turned into a funny exercise with Mick a screwing the screw into the stand while I held the tree firmly. Meanwhile, … Continue reading →

Is Your Marriage a Balloon?

Do you view your marriage as a balloon, taking you to new heights? Or do you view it as a ball and chain, dragging you down? Yesterday while talking to my daughter she expressed her reaction to the negativity projected by many about marriage. They’re the ones who come out with the ball and chain and lack of freedom idea. We see that portrayed all the time in movies and TV shows with the idea that the buck’s night is the last night of freedom. I saw it this week in a TV show. Even though I normally love the … Continue reading →

Joy and Your Brain

I’ve just finished reading ‘This is Your Brain on Joy’ by Dr. Earl Henslin and found it fascinating reading. Although this book is about joy, it also provides a lot of help for marriage. Since I love quizzes, I was particularly interested in the Amen Brain System Checklist, which was created by Dr Daniel G. Amen. It’s not a quiz where you have right and wrong answers, so much as one which helps identify the dominant parts of the brain from the five areas mentioned, and gives an indication of certain type of brain activity and personality, for example those … Continue reading →

A Week Of Praise

It’s good to be reminded of the big and little ways God provides for us and the everyday blessings we can tend to take for granted. So often we forget to praise God for His goodness. So here is my week of praise and blessings. I praise God for: Safety when traveling. A special time together with family. My footy team, the Sydney Swans, won. God’s wisdom in solving a problem with a neighbor. Enabling leading singing on Sunday and a great selection of songs which fitted in perfectly with the sermon topic. Our minister’s support and encouragement for the … Continue reading →

The Secret to Enjoying Life

My calendar this morning says ‘the secret to enjoying life is to be thankful for what each day brings.’ Are you enjoying life? If not, the fault could be that you are not looking to find the blessings in each day. No matter how bad things are there is always something we can thank God for. Here’s my notebook of 10 blessings from the last 3 days. 1. Church music practice this week was so good. We sang ‘Shout to the Lord.’ This song has a lot of meaning for me. The last time I sang it at church was … Continue reading →

Enjoying the Journey: Steps to Finding Joy Now – Jaime Theler with Deborah Talmadge

Life is full of trials and difficulties, yet we are promised that we will have joy in the eternities if we focus on being obedient and enduring to the end. That’s a beautiful promise, but getting through the here and now is a daunting task. Why must we wait until the eternities before we can experience joy? In the new LDS nonfiction book “Enjoying the Journey,” authors Jaime Theler and Deborah Talmadge tell us that we don’t have to wait. We can have joy now, even while we are living on this earth and experiencing our trials. In the chapter … Continue reading →

The Way it Works

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I’m just bubbling over here and I couldn’t wait to tell you all about it. What a great morning! I have not long come back from singing with our Sing Australia choir at a nearby nursing home. What an experience! The crowd was much smaller than those we normally have at some of the other nursing homes we regularly sing at. But what they lacked in numbers they made up for in response. We started by singing songs from the war years. These songs many of the residents knew. Our choir leader encouraged them to sing along with us. They … Continue reading →

Joy Can Come in the Quiet Moments

I think as Americans, we are trained to believe that anything that we want in life is ours if we just go out and take it. For those of us who have been through a divorce, death or separation, or are just struggling to build a life as a single parent, we can get into the trap of trying to build, shape, make and force things to go the way we wish them to. The thing is, it really is not about achievement and finances and externally-approved success. Once we realize that pure joy can come in the most mundane … Continue reading →