Oh, yes, Christmas is NEXT week, and no, I’m not ready…all the gifts are not bought, the tree is not decorated {but, it’s up and twinkling with lots of lights!}, and I have yet to send out our cards. But….that’s ok ~ we’ve had alot of travel in the past 6 months, my sweet granny passed away in November, and we were just out of town again last week. So, you know what…I think it’s ok to not stress about the things that have yet to be done and to be ok with them even if they don’t get checked off my list. And, I do think it is so very important to think about all that I have done, all that my heart has been working on, and the special friends and family I have gotten to hug lately. That counts for something…it counts for a whole lot, if you ask me!

And, all this leads me to JOY…thinking about the big picture. How do we keep our cups filled with the good stuff ~ with JOY?!! As I sat with my granny during her last days with us, I looked around her room and thought about all of us as we had come together to love on her. I thought about how much LOVE filled her room and her heart and how much of our hearts were so very full {and always will be} of the love she shared with us. It made me stop and ponder how stressed I feel at times about not getting enough done, not getting as many things checked off my “to do” list each day as I might have hoped to, and always feeling as though there were 10 more things I needed to add to it. And, it made me realize that all that is not so very important. Don’t get me wrong…we have to do our work, fulfill our callings, manage our responsibilities, and so on, but I’m guessing you can understand just what I mean. We put so much pressure on ourselves to get so much done each day and then, often feel frustrated because we didn’t accomplish it all. And, well, sometimes that makes us feel a bit defeated, frustrated, and as though we just don’t measure up. But, measure up to what? Is God really keeping check of MY crazy “to do” list and frowning down at me for all the things I have yet to check off? Nope…He’s not!! I’m willing to bet He often shakes His head in disbelief when he sees me adding three more things to it, and just says, “Oh, My sweet child…you will see…you are still learning…watch for My signs.”

And, as I sat there with my granny, I truly saw His signs…I recognized the love that lit up her room. I realized that she brought all of us together just as she has always done, and this time she was sharing more life lessons with us…just as she had always done. Even in my time of grief and sadness…because I knew she wouldn’t be with us much longer…I was able to SEE God’s messages. And, they were so very beautiful because He let my granny reveal them to us. He allowed me to pull away from the sadness, wipe away the tears long enough so His lessons could be seen. My heart was overcome with the message of “be sure to LIVE every moment…don’t just live to check off stuff on your to do list, to manage expectations, to try to do more today than yesterday…but, really LIVE and LOVE and seek JOY…and, spread it to others!” That’s the “to do” list God is concerned with. That’s the one He hopes I am making progress with, that’s the one He wants me to grow…and, it’s the very one He hopes I will FEEL the results of.

As a sweet little Christmas tree on my granny’s dresser warmed up her room one night, I caught sight of God’s message as I looked around to see all of my family sitting peacefully in that room. There was something so very special and intriguing about that moment. It didn’t matter what the next day held, what meetings might need to be attended, what jobs needed to be done, calls that needed to be made…none of that was important. I think God just wanted us to have some moments during that time to JUST BE ~ to just be peaceful as we prayed and searched for understanding and to somehow feel the magic of a most beautiful life that had been LIVED by my granny. And, boy, did she LIVE…and, oh, my goodness, did she ever LOVE with the most beautiful heart so full of grace! And, that’s what I thought about as I sat there…that’s what life is really about…living and loving…and, finding grace and joy along the way! And, helping others to find it…granny did this, and I hope to, also!

During a recent trip to Virginia I happened to stop in a new little shoppe that was not open during my last visit and fell in love with it…with the shoppe and the ladies inside! The shoppe is filled with the cutest decor, Parisian themes, inspiring art, antiques, beautiful jewelry, and so much more. The sweetest vendors fill some of the rooms with their creations, and I even had the opportunity to meet a few of them while there.

I think I was in there for quite some time! The owner’s name is Coddy, and she is more than precious! Oh, my, I fell for her right away, along with the other ladies I met! I took photos so I could be sure to share lots of the treasures with you. I will be doing a few separate posts on the shoppe just so you can feel as though you are on a little stroll with me as we go on a shopping spree! But, I just had to go ahead and introduce Coddy’s shoppe, Maggie Jane’s Brownstone, to you since I show a sweet little treat I purchased {for ME} that day in the video below!

“Choose Joy” was the motto of my time in this sweet shoppe that day {I later realized!}…watch the video below to see just why! However, I can assure you that if you have the opportunity to visit you will absolutely be filled with a dose of JOY, too!!

If you would like to order one of these adorable “Choose Joy” bracelets you may give Coddy a call at Maggie Jane’s {571~643~8293}…be sure to tell her I sent you!  🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by for a little visit with me!  I hope you are enjoying this special time of year…may you find JOY tucked in the sweetest little spots throughout your Christmas season!

Hugs!

Copyright 2014 Ann-Margaret, Artist~Writer~Photographer/Ann-Margaret’s Visions

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