Happys

Yes, I realize that "Happys" is not a word.  But this is the blog world of Shay, and so today, it's a real word.  Just go with me.

There are few things I love more than the Fall season.  This week while shopping, I've spotted tall boots {perfect for cooler weather}, Fall decor, and School Supplies.  The latter being my absolute favorite.  There's just something so exciting about a brand new notebook or an empty planner.  Oh, the possibilities!  The better question is, Why is there Fall stuff out in July??  But one can never fully understand retail.  Don't they know that it's still hotter than blazes here in Texas?!

I found all three of these things at Office Depot this week.  I needed a new notebook to write in for work, and my calendar was going to run out at the end of July.  I was so excited to find this cute little water colored planner.  I'm rather picky about these things--they have to be just right, you know?

The notebook in the middle is rather uncharacteristic of me, but it very much screamed, "CLAIRE" when I saw it.  You see, the roomdog is an incredibly graceful lady and danced all through high school.  She does ballet moves down the empty aisles of grocery stores.  So, naturally, I just had to get this for her.  She has crazy, insane and vivid dreams, so I think she might use this notebook to record them.  It's truly hilarious the things that go on in her head while she sleeps.

These last two weeks have been more than a little rough for her.  Her mom was diagnosed with chronic lymphoma leukemia and has been undergoing a series of tests for the prognosis.  We are praising the Lord that the prognosis was a good one!  They actually caught it so early that there's nothing to treat just yet, so they are just going to watch it closely.  Isn't that great?!

Needless to say, I thought Claire could use a little pick-me-up.  {Not that a ballerina composition book will solve all the worlds' problems.}  But it's what my mom refers to as a little "happy."  Just a little something to make you smile.  Sometimes we all just need a little "happy." {Mine often comes in the form of a Large Sonic Dr. Pepper...just sayin'}

In Beth Moore's study on the Psalms of Ascent, there's a lesson on Psalm 128. Here are the first two verses:

How happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!

You will surely eat what your hands have worked for.  You will be happy, and it will go well for you.

In the Hebrew translation, some have translated the word happy to mean "blessed," and while others have taken it to mean the emotion,"happy".  The study says, "They can [translate it] accurately because the original term encompasses both, suggesting both a condition (blessed) and a human reaction (happy)."    

Matthew 5:4 says, Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.   {See here: blessings do not always come in the forms of happy endings.}

I loved this part of my study the other day:

Sometimes the circumstances of our suffering may not change, but the circumstances of our hearts are changed in the midst of them through a keen sense of God's presence and a lively perception of His activity.


So in times when things are going well and when they are not, we can still be blessed.  I'm so grateful for that.  Aren't you?