Happy.

So I decided to look up the word "happy" in the dictionary and the first definition I came across said the following, "delighted, pleased, or glad".

In our current day and age happiness is often based on material things, status, how many people follow us on whatever social networking website. I've been guilty, I think we all are.
Tonight I saw this picture and it inspired this post.

It hit me in the face, your reality could be someone else's dream for a better day. . .
Your bad day could be the first time the guy sitting next to you has smiled in months.
Your kids could be screaming at the top of their lungs and trying to light the cat on fire, but there's someone out there that would do anything to finally have a child.
Your tiny house looks like a mansion to the man sleeping on the sidewalk.
What I'm getting to here is that if you're waiting for your situation to change in order for you to be happy. . . you'll most likely never get there. CHOOSE JOY.

So when I told one of my close friends that I was writing a blog post about happiness, she sent me this picture of her daughter Alli. I thought it was perfect, as soon as I looked at this picture I felt immediate joy. Little kids get it, their happiness isn't based on anything except the moment. I love that.

Also some of my friends wrote what I think is one of the happiest songs ever, check it out!

Choose joy friends, I know that's hard. 

I'm challenging myself to do the same. 

What's something that makes you happy?

It's you I like.

Growing up I was insanely shy and scared of everything, I struggled with self-image from a young age.

But there was this kind, gentle, and wonderful man that I used to watch on TV nearly everyday that told me that I was special, loved, and important. 

That man was Mister Rogers.

(property of the post-gazette)

I grew up without a grandfather, so as odd as this sounds. . . Mister Rogers filled that void for me. I used to carry around a tattered Mister Rogers book before I could even speak fully. I remember going to far away places with Mister Rogers, places far outside of the walls of our home. But most of all, I felt like he was talking directly to me. Tonight I found this picture while lurking the internet and it brought me to tears. So I thought I'd share it with all of you, mostly because just recently I've started to like who I am and you should like who you are as well. 

(property of buzzfeed)

Mister Rogers would have been 85 years old this week, I wish he was still here.
But he left such a legacy and I'm sure he's had a great time with Jesus thus far.
As for me, I'm glad that I was his neighbor. . .



“When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.” --Fred Rogers

Magic cold medicine!

So over the course of the past couple of months, I've made the decision to stop using ibuprofen and acetaminophen for pain relief and as a fever reducer. Last week I got the mother of all colds and as I walked down the aisles at Walgreen's I realized I had very few options. So after some wandering, I found this product by Hyland's and let me tell ya. . . this stuff is magic!

I always said I'd never do a blog post dedicated to a product but I figured this time was the exception. Hyland's Defend is amazing, it's a little bit pricey but it is worth it. I started to feel better about an hour after my first dose. No grogginess and no nasty ingredients, I liked Hyland's Defend so much I purchased Hyland's migraine formula as well! I also must say that this stuff tastes pretty darn good as far as cold medicine goes, I'm going to stock up on this product for future cold/flu adventures.

(Sick face.)

**For more info on this product and other Hyland's Homeopathy products visit:
http://www.hylands.com 

You aren't alone&a kind of special announcement.

We're all imperfect.
We all fall on our faces.
Everyone hurts and hurts others at some point.
Our tempers flare, our tongues lie, our feet wander, and our hearts often harden.
But amongst all of the above there is hope, forgiveness, and grace.
You are not alone. Ever.

Lastly, I've been been really led to create a separate email for prayer requests. So if you need prayer or just need someone to listen. You can get ahold of me at: joybirdprays@gmail.com

Walks with my dad.

So when I was a little girl, my dad used to ask me to go for walks with him in the woods.
I usually didn't feel like it, so I'd moan and groan the whole way. But he'd say the same thing to me every time, "One day you'll remember these walks when I'm gone and you'll wish we could do this." I'd still moan and groan but when I got to be eleven or twelve that kind of sunk in so I stopped complaining on our walks and started freezing little moments on our walks into my memory.

Nowadays my dad and I don't take many walks but today we went on a little walk, but this time it was around an old abandoned building in a nearby town. My dad's been to the building a few times before but this was the first time I've been. I couldn't help but freeze a few of the moments today to cherish later on. But for my readers, here are a few cell phone shots from our day and a picture of dad doing some similar exploring a few months back. Cherish memories with the people that you love, take pictures, and try not to whine and groan along the way.