Joy in Ordinary Moments

Joy comes to us in ordinary moments. We risk missing out on joy when we get too busy chasing the extraordinary. ~ Brene Brown

It's the little, ordinary moments that make up our lives, and if we look, there is a lot to love about these moments. I want to make sure I'm not missing the beauty, laughter, and joy in the day-to-day.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ~ Philippians 4:4

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It's been a while since I posted here, so this is a bit of a catch-up post. This table at church was decorated so beautifully for this Easter season. It does my heart and soul good just to look at it during the service. There are so many symbols here with rich meaning and significance.

After a cold spell last week, it's been a little warmer again this week.

The rule here for who is allowed to climb the tree is simply that the child has to be able to do it on his/her own. Each child is so proud when this is accomplished. After much practice, we now have a new tree climber. It was fun watching as the other children offered helpful suggestions and demonstrated the best ways to climb until the skill was learned.

A little more outside fun.

Hello friend!

One evening last week, Michael and I went for a ride just to get out of the house for a little while. I've heard a lot about how beautiful the view of the sunset is from Sunset Park but had never gone up to see it for myself, so we headed there. It truly is beautiful! I know it's different every evening and I want to see some more so I'm sure we will be back often.

Saturday, Chris and I decided to go for a ride and ended up at Sugar Hollow Reservoir. I had never been there before and enjoyed the scenery and a short hike.

A boulder split in half by lightning.

Flowers and a little scenery from our little excursion.

I started a new book and am enjoying it. I was a little afraid it would be dry, but it is not. In the first 25 pages, there has been drama, intrigue, suspense, and humor. I included the Amazon description below.

Benita Kane Jaro presents the major characters and events in the waning Roman Republic from the point of view of Cicero, the greatest orator and finest statesman of ancient Rome. She also depicts the conflict that led to the collapse of the Republic and Cicero's single-handed struggle which staved off its collapse for 15 years.

In The Lock, the principal figures of the age: Julius Caesar, Cicero, Pompey the Great make their appearance and play out their fateful struggle. The novel has a deep rethinking of the character of Marcus Tullius Cicero and a reassessment of his life and work. His warmth and wit, his intelligence, his integrity and his courage make him a hero for our time as well as his own.

Built around the letters and speeches of Cicero, many of which appear in the novel in new and lively translations by the author, The Lock is historically accurate and carefully researched. It may be read independently as a single novel, or as the second volume of the trilogy The Key, The Lock, and The Door in the Wall. It features maps of Rome and the Empire, specially drawn for the novel, and includes a reader-friendly list of Principal Characters and a Chronology of Events in the novel. No other novel so deeply examines Cicero and his times.