You Say It's Your Birthday!

Below are all of the birthday presents that I received as a result of my quest to know what brings you joy and can't be taken away, except maybe by death.

Thank you for sharing the joy! There are no right or wrong, good or bad answers to my question. The beauty is in the sharing of our uniqueness.

I found that I could relate to every one of the answers I received. Maybe you will, too. Even with our uniqueness, there is a thread that ties us all together.

I hope that the answers below give you pause to consider the beauty of joy in all of our lives.

And I hope you don't go blind trying to read the words below. I put this together before we left for the east coast and it is what it is.

Again, thank you, from the bottom of my pea-pickin' heart!











A late entry:
My source of joy, which could be taken from me, if they ever decide that coffee is 100% bad for you, or if I can no longer afford fresh coffee beans...a simple daily ritual that brings me joy: getting up before my husband, or the "kids" (when they're sleeping under the same roof), grinding some French roast beans, then brewing them slowly. I stand at the kitchen window, looking out at the foothills, inhaling what to me is one of the most comforting aromas--fresh dark coffee. The first sip is the best. I often have it in an ugly mug that is of sentimental value to me. Even if this ritual were taken from me, I'd find something else. It's the repetition of simple familiar actions--pulling the grinder off the top shelf, getting out the bag of beans, opening it to have a whiff, setting the grinder to the correct intensity, pouring in the sweet water from our own well, waiting for the magic to happen...it's the ritual that matters. Before the others are up, the house is quiet, and it's my quiet time to indulge.