Monday JOYS

Good Monday Morning!  I hope you are having a lovely Monday thus far!  It's a bright and sunny morning here in north central Florida, with temps currently (at 9:41 a.m.) hovering around 59 degrees. It was 47 when we woke up, and should reach 72 by the afternoon. That sounds like a picture perfect weather forecast to me! How's the weather where you are? I know many of you have had some horrifically cold weather over the past week. I hope you are beginning to thaw out a bit by now.

This squirrel is up on our back porch, enjoying an acorn.

I'm not sure that he is abiding by all of the "Porch Rules", but he is entertaining and fun to watch nonetheless.

I saw this on one of our Blogging Friend's posts this morning, and it really spoke to me, so I just had to borrow it. I hope Linda at "Linda's Life Journal" won't mind. (click on the link to read her beautiful post)   Borrowed from Linda's Life Journal blog post   Linda is an artist, and I thought this quote suited her perfectly.

And I thought to myself that applies to every day, not just Monday, although we all know that Mondays are usually thought of as the more difficult of days to get our best "colors" on the canvas.

Now that I am retired, I don't have much trouble with Mondays. Actually I kind of like Monday. It's the start of a brand new week...new opportunities and activities. It's kind of nice to get back into a routine of sorts on Mondays after the weekend events and Sunday routines of worship and rest...

Yesterday was mostly rest for me since I stayed home from church and nursed this  cold and laryngitis. I am feeling some better today, I can actually talk a bit more without feeling like it is such a strain.  But I do tend to break into paroxysms of coughing spells from the sinus drainage, so I am staying home from Bible Study this afternoon and away from people as much as possible. Thankfully each day brings progress.

Back to the "colors on a canvas" thought...Look at what God painted on His sunset canvas last evening:

God is the Master Designer of the most amazing "paintings" in His skies...no two are ever the same, and I find myself always standing in awe of His masterpieces...

And this is just a small thing, but again it is an example of God's artistry...these little azaleas are blooming after all the frosty and cold weather we've had recently...a beautiful little bright spot to remind us that spring is coming, so just hang in there...winter doesn't last forever (unless you live on the North Pole!).  

So today, even though it has taken me about 3 hours to get this post written because of interruptions and my mouse dying and even with new batteries it refused to work, and so I had to find an old mouse with a cord to attach to the computer and thankfully I found one and it still works...even with all of that, today I choose to paint my canvas with JOY.  Joy in being alive, joy in being a child of the King, joy in being a sinner saved by the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord, joy that there is beauty all around us if we just take the time to look for it, joy that this old cold I have will soon pass and I will be back to my old self, joy that I have interruptions and am not alone in this world...

Yes, today I paint my canvas with the color of JOY!

How about you?