Joy to the World

Sorry for lapse in blogging: I have been sick with the cold, but I am feeling good tonight.

Special thanks to Marie Elliott and The Alternate Economy blog for the picture above called "Speaking of Joy"

One of my favorite Christmas songs is Joy to the world! Just singing the song lifts my spirits and puts a big ole' smile on my face.

Last month I heard a interesting suggestion while listening to my favorite Christmas radio station. Bring a little joy to your world with a joy list. The premise is that joy comes from doing something special for others. With a joy list, you make a list of special deeds for your spouse, friends and family.

I don't know if my mom has a joy list but I remember her doing some special things for my siblings and me when we were small. Some times when we went grocery shopping, she'd let us put one item of our choice in the cart. Usually it was something we saw on TV like toaster strudels and something weird like pickled orka. As kids, that just made our day!

She would also occasionally cook our favorite meals. One of my best memories of this was on Valentine's Day. I had recently graduated from college and moved back home. It was awkward for sure... especially because I had become a vegetarian! This frustrated my parents who didn't really know how to cook for me. But that V-Day my mom bought me an Amy's Kitchen frozen dinner. Amy's Kitchen, for those who don't know, specializes in organic and natural prepared vegetarian meals. That really touched my heart because I felt her love for me.

I want to share that kind of love and care my mom showered on me with others.

Enter the joy list.

It is fun channeling my sneakiness into a list of good deeds! I don't want to spoil my list but so far, I've got some special meals planned, encouraging words written out, and fun gifts purchased!

Watch out everyone, joy is coming!

Hey, let's get a conversation going. What special things do you for your family? What special things do you do for your spouse? Dish in the comment section.