I Found It

"There is no joy without sorrow....it is in fact the pain and the suffering that allows us to experience and appreciate the joy."  The Book of Joy

Two people I care about are dealing with difficult and sad situations.  One is spending last days with her mother who is in hospice care....and the other just lost a grandson who was less than a year old.  Can there be joy when there is such sadness in the world?  There has to be. 

Today I found it in simple everyday things and I am grateful. I found it finishing my Kennebunkport puzzle before I was even done with my morning coffee.

I found it realizing that the puzzle was based on real places in Kennebunkport like Allison's restaurant and the Whimsy Shop.

  

I found it in the fresh coat of snow on my fading snowman and the long winter shadows.

And I found it during lunch with my son Sam and when he shoveled the patio before going to visit his grandma.

I found it sitting at my cluttered table in front of the studio window practicing another underpainting.....

.... and being OK with the so so result knowing hoping that the collage process will make it better. 

I found it in the fabulous puzzle waiting in the wings that I'm borrowing from Margie....who got it as a Christmas gift from her daughter Alyson. I love buttons just as much as I love marbles and it's just like the marble puzzle I enjoyed last August.

And finally, found it when, at the end of the day, I had the Button 

pieces sorted and ready to go for a new day. 

"Respond with joy! Joy is the happiness that doesn't depend on what happens. It is the grateful response to the opportunity that life offers you at this moment."  The Book of Joy