Dear Friends,

Yesterday, I shared my heart deeply with you. I want to be a help and encouragement to you. Some of the storms in my life have happened so I could encourage someone else going through the same thing. There have been days when the only thing I could do was pray and step out in faith.

When things looked impossible, God took care of it.

This is where it is important to write the good things down. You need it when you are in a storm.

Get a pretty notebook or composition book. Call it a Joy Journal or a Happiness File or Blessings.

You will use this to write down the good things when they happen. You can add in Scripture verses and maybe some drawings.

When you see the cover of this book, it will bring you a smile. You know it will have something happy in it for you.

If you are in a storm right now and cannot think of one thing to write down, I want you to remember that you are special. You are blessed. You are loved. You have not been forgotten about.

Write down some basic blessings that you have. Your family. Food. Clothes, Shoes, Shelter.

If you are facing a physical challenge, be thankful for what you can do. Don’t focus on the difficulties for a few minutes.

You can write this in your journal.

If you are facing disappointment, write down one thing that is going well.

If you have issues with your children with attitude or behavior, look at how you are communicating with them. Some children feed off negative responses from you. Sometimes they need to know you love them. They need your love and boundaries.

Use your journal to write down positive character traits in each of your children. The next time you are frustrated with them, read over the list. Talk to them. Tell them what you love about them. Then address the issue. Finally, reiterate that you love them. Think of it as a cookie with cream in the middle. The middle is what you need to address with them, but you are going to sandwich it with the good things about them.

Your Joy Journal can become an intricate part of your life. It will help you see the good stuff on the hard days.

Your Home Blessing for today is to dust and vacuum.

My menu plan for Tuesday is spaghetti and a salad.