"I've Got the joy, joy, joy, joy...."

"Let the children come to Me" -Mark 10:14a


What better place to find joy - an endless stream of joy - than at vacation bible school. This week I have had the privilege of shepherding a group of 16 4 and 5 year-olds through their Summer VBS experience. They're at that really amazing age where they can form those first concepts about God and religion. It's a delicate time for little people and I want to share some special moments as well as some funny ones.




Monday brought me joy during storytime. I love the answers the kids give to the storyteller's questions.

"What do you do when you're scared and you need help to know what to do?"


#1: "Run!" (very logical)

#2: "Call the cops!" (he obviously watches a lot of TV)


#3: "Pray" (my little Abby - I'm so proud!)

Tuesday brought me joy during arts and crafts. We made "Prayer Pails" containing things they are thankful for or like to pray for. Here are a few choice examples:

-mommy & daddy (of course)

-my doggie that died (what can I say?)


-the new baby (from the beaming big sister)

-cars (you never know what you're gonna get from a 5 year old)

Wednesday was hard. The kids were so tired and cranky. Ford didn't want to go at all and I think a lot of others were dragging this morning. Shepherding was nerve racking because they kept wandering off every time we turned around. Still, there was plenty of joy all around us.

Abby and her friend Max volunteered to lead the prayer this morning and for a 5 year old to volunteer to pray in front of 400 children and adult volunteers is quite impressive in my opinion. One of our girls, Emma, danced with such enthusiasm during music time that I well imagine we will see her on Dancing With the Stars before too long!

Thursday - everyone was tired. 1/4 of the children did not brush their hair today (which is fine, of course, but a strong indicator that they were dragged from their beds and shipped directly to me.) Following VBS and back-to-back playdates (why do I do this to myself?) I managed to find joy lurking in, of all places, my big jacuzzi bathtub. Yes, it was late in the day, but I think it still counts. I relaxed to Diana Krall and loofahed my rough spots on the outside, which seemed to buff away the rough spots I experienced during the day. Calgon - take me away!

Friday was amazing. The kids were tired but they poured their little hearts into everything we did. As always, I found myself choking back the tears as I sat on the floor of our fellowship hall while they performed several little songs they learned this week. To watch Christ pouring out of their little faces brought me an overwhelming sense of the closeness of God. I felt blessed for having been a part of this whole experience. I actually can't wait for next year!

Mountain Top Experience

What better way to "get away" than to travel to the mountains? We just got back from an all-too-brief excursion to Linville, NC - a place I would gladly call home if it were possible. Baxter's family has been very lucky to have their place up there all these many years. It is truly an escape from everything - the telephone, chores and especially the heat. It was a beautiful 74 degrees in the afternoons up there. It is even an escape from my barking dogs! We took them with us of course; but with no one else around to bark at, they're quite calm.

The days up there go something like this: wake up at sunrise (somehow up there you don't mind so much) and look at the mountains, eat muffins and fresh fruits and look at the mountains, drink coffee and gaze thoughtfully at the mountains, Dress, hike around the mountains, drive along the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway taking pictures of the mountains, eat lunch while taking in the majesty of the mountains, fish, read, lay around and look at the mountains some more, eat dinner, put the kids to bed, sit outside on the front porch and listen to the silence, breathe deeply and thank God that you're there.

Everyone else feels the same way as I do about going. We all love it. Abby and Ford went from fighting and whining the whole way up there to complete introspective silence on the drive back home. Baxter seriously wants to change addresses but we're not sure exactly how that would work. Hopefully we can continue to enjoy our mountain retreat a while longer. My in laws are almost finished building a condo development in nearby Banner Elk. Their condo is gorgeous, believe me - with exposed beams and so much trim that it looks like the whole thing was whittled out of a single tree. It is also conveniently located within walking distance of the quaint downtown area. Still, there is no field for the kids and dogs to run in and no fishin' pond down the holler! They don't have any plans for the Linville house yet but Baxter and I might have to just buy it!

One and a half tanks of gas for the drive to and from Linville: $75

Everything else we did up there: Free

All of the memories we brought back with us: Priceless

The Silly Side of Life

I have a problem. I tend to approach things too systematically at times. This might seem organized on the outside but sometimes I sacrifice spontaneity for schedule. This was thrust in front of me yesterday after church. The kids and I had to stay for a VBS meeting/lunch and by the time we got home, the kids were in desperate need for some fun. After checking movie listings and Athens Parent on-line, I found nothing was going on. Ready to throw my hands up in the air and resign myself to cleaning up the house - Baxter decided that we should throw our bathing suits on and have a good ol' fashioned water fight outside.

Well, I had blown-out my hair for church, my makeup looked really good and I am not naturally fond of getting wet. This seemed especially unappealing since I had not planned for it. Still, I donned my swimsuit and put on my sunglasses and attempted to enjoy the afternoon. I began by dutifully filling both of their pails with water balloons. (This was a task I enjoyed since it kept me inside a few minutes longer.) Once we decided to play water-balloon-toss, I was pretty happy. After all, it was highly unlikely that I would drop many of the tosses! Unfortunately, Ford made for a weak partner and we had gone through his bucket in a quick couple of minutes. Next, they got the water guns out. They had a blast! They squirted their guns, dumped buckets of water on each other and squealed and giggled with joy. All the while, I sat on the garden-seat dodging streams of water and attempting to stay dry. I looked like an annoyed cat - not much fun at all.

Why do I have such a hard time shifting gears? My kids can roll with the punches much better than I can. I'm the one who teeters between stubbornness and irrational expectations. I did have a little fun but mostly I just bided my time until I could tempt the whole crew with ice cream and draw them inside. One good thing came of it though - I knew I was being a stick-in-the-mud and admitting you have a problem is the first step towards getting help! So, the next time I find myself forced to change directions or in the midst of an activity that may not be my favorite, I will try a little harder to let go and have fun. I need to get back in touch with my silly side!!

The "Why"

Well, I finally did it - I started a blog. After all of my hemming and hawing, I decided to take the plunge. I'm not sure who will read this but writing is never a waste of time so that's okay. Although I have lots of ideas for future blogs - ones which will require research, preparation and a lot of forethought, I guess the only thing I have in mind for my first post is to explain myself (a little).

Why this picture? This is Myrna Loy. She's an old movie actress from way back in the day. I have been told by different people that I look like her and since I can't find one decent picture of myself on this computer I decided to use hers. If I were photogenic, this might be what I look like.

Why the title "Endless Joy"? Besides the obvious - me, Joy, endlessly rambling on and on about every conceivable topic under the sun - it also goes a little deeper. Living up to my name can be quite a chore at times. ALWAYS having joy is, well, tough. Still, it's something I really strive for in my life and something I hope to focus on while writing this blog. I want to find joy in all situations, to be surprised at where it exists and to point it out at everyone else along the way.