Back to the Happy

Happy Saturday, Friends! 

As I look back on my last two posts, I realize that it may be time to get back to the knitting!

Wait. What? The post title is "Back to the Happy," Pretty...

Yes, but this IS a knitting blog, and knitting is one of the things that definitely makes me happy! Like when I take photos of pre-felted slippers on the porch, and I can get the daisies in the shot...HAPPY!!!

Other things make me happy, too. A boy and his dog...

VBS Closing picnics, complete with singing...

and water balloons...

Starting a little sweater in colors that remind me of a favorite college team...O-H!..

Happy is a good place to be, and it is a great thing to share. After posting two Saturdays about prison visits, I needed a little more happy this week. VBS week, with its constant reminders that God is Good, was just the ticket. I embraced that as fully as I could, because happy does not typically last.

Happy is something we all wait for, and sometimes get, but it often disappoints...because happiness does not last. Happy depends on things that we cannot depend on...like a winning lottery ticket, a debt repaid, trust unbroken, some good thing that falls into our lap. When something goes awry, happy goes away. Happiness does not bring contentment.

Joy is deeper, and we must actively pursue it. Joy is part of the contentment equation that allows us to survive and to thrive, despite the ugliness we must face in this broken world. Joy is reinforced by a blooming flower, a cool breeze on a hot day, an encouraging word when you need it most. But joy does not depend on these things...joy is always there, especially when you rest on the assurance that you are loved by a God who is Good, all the time, no matter what...and I do!

After my last blog post, a friend commented on Facebook, commiserating with me about my painfully raw emotions of the last few years. She wrote about how hard it is to go through those hard times and still want to look for joy again. She knows this as well as anyone, because we all go through awful things. My response included the following:

"Sometimes  life is hard, but the only way is through with emotions...I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Then again, all my growth comes from the hard stuff. Happy seasons are for resting, and they come back around."

I typed that almost without thinking and hit send, then I re-read my own words. Truth. Did I even know that I knew that before I answered? When did I learn that? I am not sure, but somewhere along the line, I must have figured out that happy is not an end-goal. Happy is nice, it is good, and I wait for happy as much as the next gal...but it is very temporary. Sometimes happy only lasts a few seconds before the next challenge presents itself. It comes back around, but it never really stays long.

Joy, on the other hand, sticks around when I embrace it. So I will. Happy daisies will die. Happy knitting will find knots in the yarn, mistakes in the pattern, and (gasp!)  mistakes in the stitches, too. Happy people are not as common as social media would have you believe. (I am guilty on FB and IG, because none of you really want to see the melancholy Pretty that is my default, and I want to be sure those pictures do not make their way into the photo albums!) But joy is always there, so look for it...and spread some joy where you can, whenever you can. Spreading joy can also make you happy.

So spread joy with kind words, good deeds and loving thoughts. Spread joy by extending grace whenever it is possible. Find your joy, even through tears and anger, and remember that it is there for all the broken people, especially those who are not happy.

Off I go now to happily knit something that will (hopefully) spread some joy. How will you spread joy today so that you can get back to the Happy?

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!