Joy Leanne

We all have a story. I grew up understanding this fact. My dad is a pastor and my mom is an English teacher. I come from a family of storytellers. It's in my blood. The concept that we each have a story to tell was natural to me.  It's seems like such a simple idea, however the older I get the more I come to understand the depth of this statement. See I am neither the author nor the main character in my story. Both of those roles are claimed by Christ. And, since we are creatures of community, I am a tiny part of dozens if not hundreds of other stories. Right now I have a ring side view of a lot of stories. As I look around I am surrounded by people in the middle if water shed moments. At every turn I encounter people in the middle of major plot twists.  Some of them are in crises. The outcome of the situations they are facing will forever change their lives. They will look back and mark everything else in life by “before” or “after” these moments.   Some are being prese...

If we were to have coffee today it would have to be at my house  because Miss Tacy can't seem to keep her clothes clean for longer than an hour or two so she is now sitting around in a diaper and heavy blankets because I only have one clean sleeper yet and saving that for bed time. I would probably tell you how proud I am of myself for writing four days in a row now. It may not seem like much but to me that is huge. Slowly but surely I am making time for this thing that matters so much to me and that I hope to some day do something special with. I might tell you that I am getting pretty dang excited for Christmas that I finally caved today and let the girls start watching Christmas movies on Netflix and that I am warming my favorite holiday scent in my Scentsy warmer. I would tell you just how excited I am about the beautiful paper dolls I bought my girls for Christmas and how I am not sure I will be able to wait till Christmas day to give them the dolls. And if we were having coff...

What do you do when gratitude doesn't come easily? What do you do when you can look around and you KNOW you are surrounded by blessings but your heart doesn't feel what your head knows? What do you do when praise feels far from your lips and your heart? I think the answer is different for every one... but for me... when I don't know what else to do... I make a list.... and so....when my heart doesn't feel thankful... I start to write... and I keep writing.....and I write until my mind and my heart agree.... Cinnamon bear scentsy Warm socks Comforters Hot tea Hot chocolate Coffee Flavored creamers Fresh bread Pastries Warm, comforting food. Someone else cooking dinner. Sleep Quilts Favorite sweaters Colored pencils Empty journals Sisters who are friends Friends who are like sisters Family living in the basement Naps Baby snuggles Happy kids Good report cards Writing Words Language Good books The “just right” sermon at the “just right” time. Hand written letters Craft tim...

Dear Teddy Bear, Tomorrow you will be six years old. It is hard to believe. Your baby sister is sitting next to me in the swing and as I look down at her I could swear it was only a few months ago that you were that size. All smiles and giggles and turning inside out with delight whenever anyone looked at you.  Photo Credit Sarah Abbott Photography Surely you are not really six. It’s just a trick of my imagination… it has to be… I can still see you standing tip toe in a black and pink tutu looking out the window at the winter beach. You felt so big that winter. You had just turned one and were running around the beach house talking your aunt’s ears off and stealing food from your cousins.  Photo Credit Sarah Abbott Photography And then your sister was born and we bought house and some where in the shuffle you lost your baby cheeks and tiny ringlets and shot up into this gangly little girl who is learning to read and rides a bus to school. And my mother was right… I miss those...