For a long time, I believed joy was something that happened after.
After the grief.
After the heartbreak.
After life settled down.
After all the questions had answers.
I was wrong.
The last few years have taught me that life doesn’t pause while we’re hurting. It keeps moving. Birthdays come. Grandbabies laugh. Friends call. A sunset still paints the sky. A stranger holds the door open. Someone says exactly what your heart needed to hear.
Joy doesn’t wait until everything is fixed. It quietly shows up in the middle of the mess.
I’ve shared a lot of hard stories here. Stories of loss, uncertainty, fear, and learning to trust God when I couldn’t see what He was doing. Those stories are part of me, and they’ll always have a place in my heart.
But they aren’t the whole story.
There has also been so much laughter.
There have been late-night conversations with my husband that reminded me why we chose each other. There have been moments with my children where I caught myself smiling just because I couldn’t believe how incredible they’ve become. There have been butterflies at retreats, new friendships, families finding homes, and people crossing my path exactly when we both needed the encouragement.
Those moments matter just as much.
I’ve learned that healing isn’t waking up one morning and realizing the pain is gone. Healing is discovering you laughed today. Healing is making plans for next month. Healing is planting flowers even though last season felt like winter. Healing is realizing your heart has made room for both tears and happiness.
For a long time, I felt guilty when I was happy.
How could I laugh when people I loved were gone?
How could I celebrate when someone else was hurting?
Then I realized something.
Choosing joy doesn’t dishonor the people we’ve lost. It honors the life we’ve been given.
The people who loved us wouldn’t want us to stop living.
So these days, I celebrate the little things.
A good cup of coffee.
A successful closing.
Time with family.
A conversation that lasts longer than expected.
A hug.
A beautiful sunrise.
A prayer answered.
Even the unexpected detours that somehow become the best memories.
Life has taught me that brokenness and joy can exist in the same heart.
You don’t have to choose one or the other.
If today feels heavy, don’t give up looking for the small blessings. They may not erase your pain, but they will remind you that hope is still alive.
And if today is a good day, don’t apologize for enjoying it.
Laugh loudly.
Love deeply.
Take the picture.
Go on the trip.
Tell people you appreciate them.
Celebrate the little victories.
Because life isn’t measured only by the storms we survive.
It’s also measured by the joy we choose to notice while the rain is still falling.
Psalms 30:5
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