There will probably be fewer writing updates here for a while because I took a job. Actually, I will be working two jobs that aren't writing. I'm going to be working three mornings a week helping with a dear elderly woman, and the other will be a few hours each week helping with sorting and shelving the incoming books at a thrift store. While I'm excited about these new opportunities that God is bringing my way, it is hard to see all that writing time dissolving.

While there are some hard things about how life is changing, I'm so excited right now. I see God healing the wounds from 2017 in some powerful ways. One of my prayers right now (as I mentioned in Sunday's blog post) is that I would live with my hands open. If I have learned one thing it is that I need not cling to things or people to tightly as if they were mine. I also shouldn't hold my fists closed because I don't want my life to change. I'm striving toward the goal of living with my hands open both for giving and receiving.

I talked late last year about everyday joy. Today, I'm thinking about it again. I was blown away by God's goodness, but juggling all the pieces of my schedule has stressed me. Yet, I had to remind myself what a blessing all these jobs are. I'm getting two jobs that have flexibility and will still allow me the time to work on my writing. The money I'm making will help pay for my upcoming trip to Colorado, my normal bills, and the editing and cover designs for my summer releases. Isn't that something to be joyful about?

In the midst of the changes, I will choose to look to God as my source of joy.

2017 started out with a lot of promise. January 1st was welcomed in with a party at the Holman house. I had big plans for my writing, hope for mending a broken friendship, renewed zeal to pray for what seemed impossible, and hope that my sister's new boyfriend would be the one for her. The months passed, and I struggled to do even the basics at my job as tension mounted from just about every front. By February, my writing was in shambles. By April, pressure mounted in our family from events both within and without. By July, my sister was left with a broken heart. In August, I saw the friendship I had wanted to save fall apart. By September, I realized that, somewhere along the way, I had stopped bothering to pray for impossible, as it seemed even further out of reach. It was then I realized I had lost something that was important to me: Finding joy in the little things.

Happiness is often at the mercy of my circumstances. Joy is something I choose. One of the most significant changes that I am working on making is from "I have to" to "I get to." What do I mean by this? So often I hear myself saying: "I have to work on this today."  "I have to go see this person." When I decided to start choosing to see the joy in the little things, this was one of the first things I decided to tackle. I am working on saying things like this:
"I get to write book reviews today."
"I get to drive my sister to work."
"I'm sick, so I get to take a day off."
Why this change? Because it reminds me that nothing is a given. I don't have to write book reviews, but I have been given the blessing of being able to do so. My sister's job, my driver's license, and working cars are not a given. All of them are gifts. When I am sick, I could have a job that demands me to keep working.
Yesterday, I had a huge amount of work, and my Mom and sisters invited me to go with them to the grocery store. This wasn't exciting in the least, but I took the offer. I made them all laugh for stopping to grab pictures.