January is a gloomy month in Minnesota. Well, really, I think its gloomy everywhere, but especially in Minnesota. The holiday season is over, with nothing really fun on the horizon for months. The weather is cold and frequently overcast. I tend to get depressed from the confluence of several things at this time of year, and I am not that fun to be around.
In November, I decided to start each day thinking of something for which I am grateful. It improved my attitude, and made my day better. I shared my thoughts on my facebook page, and heard from a number of friends that they enjoyed my thoughts, and they actually looked forward to reading what I wrote each day. (And I do thank you for that encouragement! You have no idea what it means to a writer to hear that someone enjoyed what they wrote.)
I have been thinking about doing the same thing for January, to lift my spirits and try to kick off each day with a more positive attitude. I have been delving into the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians, and the one that really struck me has been joy. Spiritual joy is the gift of the Holy Spirit to my soul, and I decided that is what I need for January.
So for the rest of the month, I will choose one moment from the previous day where I felt that joy in my soul and I will share it with you. My hope is that this will trigger me to look for the joy through the day, knowing I will be reporting it later, and it will help me to be more upbeat overall!
One of the most important lessons I have learned in life is that we choose our mood, to a large extent. We cannot choose everything that happens to us, of course. Many things are out of our control. But how we respond to life situations is always up to us. We can choose to be angry, resolved, happy, amused, frustrated - we cannot control anyone else, but we have full control of ourselves. So, for the rest of January, I am going to choose joy. What will you choose?
