Look how pretty this little page is. Aw.

As I said, I decided to switch blog sites. There are lots of reasons. And they don’t really matter. I just like the pretty tree up there at the top. And really, it only makes sense…I got a whole new haircut on Saturday so it’s time to revamp everything else. 😉 If you have any interest in accessing my old site, http://www.xanga.com/jamielee02. But seriously, that’s the old me. I’m different now.

Not really.

I left off counting my joys on Saturday. So I have some catching up to do. Since my revelation on Sunday about how joy springs from the truths that guide our lives, I’ve really enjoyed the sense of peace that comes with it. Church on Sunday was a sweet time. Sometimes when I go, I am consumed by my own thoughts, I’m busy checking everyone else out, or I’m just not there because I am teaching the middle-schoolers. But I was still pretty focused on what I had been learning and as the band led worship, I couldn’t help but cry. Because I was happy. I couldn’t even sing, but I felt like I was singing because my tears came from some really happy place deep down inside. And they were clean tears. Sometimes when I cry sad or angry tears, they feel dirty…they muddle up my face, puff my eyes out, and make me all blotchy. But these tears left sparkly little trails down my cheeks because they were little gifts of offering to God. I knew I was in better hands now (like the song) and I have been for awhile. No matter what Cody and I go through, we will be ok because God has promised us His love and protection for our souls.

I mean yes, we will hurt in our lifetimes. We will grieve and have our hearts shattered and we will be scared, timid, sometimes regretful, often maybe even bitter. But when you can see how God is using a trial right now, that’s one more cord of strength that ties you to Him to prepare you for the next trial.

SUNDAY’S JOY: At the sake of sounding goofy, letting go and letting God. 🙂 We also had the joy of seeing our families all day for Mother’s Day. My big brother had a cookout for our mom all afternoon (which consisted of learning how to use his new grill, having to pick up more plates because he only had a set of four, and laughing to tears in the kitchen as we cleaned all the dishes because he didn’t have a dishwasher). Then that evening, Cody’s parents came over for dinner. We ate and drank wine and watched a movie and lounged around. Family is such a blessed thing.

MONDAY’S JOY: Last night, Cody and I met with our friend TJ to discuss how our house church is going. The past three meetings we have had, we have not gotten along…at all. We were almost out of hope, but after a couple weeks of praying and meeting with an elder and other leaders at the church, we had a nice night of dinner and compromises at TJ’s home. We all left peaceful. So now I look back and think, why was that so hard?? As I see God restore small things such as this, I think maybe the world has hope after all.