Day 2- Joy vs Happiness

Joy versus happiness

    Sometimes I struggle with joy. How can I be joyful if things in my life don't seem to be going well? What if things don't go perfectly as planned? How can I be joyful when things in the world just seem... gross at times. I also wonder how I can be a good witness as a Christian if I'm always complaining about something or if I seem like I'm not happy. I think the reason it is difficult to be joyful is that we sometimes confuse happiness and joy. In my opinion, joy and happiness are two separate things that are still connected.

     According to Merriam-Webster.com, happiness is: noun

obsolete :  good fortune :  prosperity

2

a :  a state of well-being and contentment :  joy

b :  a pleasurable or satisfying experience

3

:  felicity, aptness                                                                                              

     Joy is defined as:

a :  the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight

b :  the expression or exhibition of such emotion :  gaiety

2

:  a state of happiness or felicity :  bliss

3

:  a source or cause of delight

     There was one sermon I read, that described 2 Greek words that represent happiness and joy. I think these 2 illustrations really fit with how I think of happiness and joy. The author writes:

              If you will forgive a little language discussion, just as we have two different                                words--happiness and joy, so the Greek also has two different words. The                                    Greek word for happiness is Makarios and it refers to the freedom of the rich                              from normal cares and worries. It is the word used to describe a person who

             has received some form of good fortune--money, health, children and that sort

             of thing. And that is what our word happiness is about. If I am happy, it is 

             because things are going well for me--my outward situation is good. There are

             no crises, I feel good, there's money in the checking account, nobody is out to

             get me, my job is going well, and so forth.

      I also agree that happiness is based on temporary things. Today, I had some fun classes with my 8th grade students. We got a lot done in class and the kids felt comfortable enough with me to tell me how they were honestly feeling about this new school year, their teachers and their lives in general. I had a nice conversation with a new colleague at my school, just making sure that she felt like things were going well in her new job. At the end of the day, after 130 students coming through my room, all I had to do was straighten out my chairs in order to clean up. I learned that some other teachers are feeling a little stressed about their work piling up, or not getting as much done in a day as they'd like- just like I'm feeling. My kids ran out to give me a giant hug once I got home from school. Both sons sat at the kitchen table and fully finished their homework before trying to escape to watch tv. All of these things made me happy. For the moment it was happening, and even remembering all of those things right now, I felt good. The problem with just being happy is that if you're not feeling temporarily good, you sometimes look for that temporary fix. It's like when you really want something that you don't have and you think "If I just had (fill in the blank), things would be better. I'd be much happier." Then you get what you wanted and you think "This is nice, but what I'd really like is (new temptation)." Then you get the next item and the cycle repeats. Sometimes when we're searching for things, we never find happiness- even if we get what we originally wanted. 

     And what happens when things are not going well? I am going to confess- I can be a huge complainer. If you see me (and my Irish skin) on a hot, muggy sunny day, you will not want to be around me. I'm miserable. If I'm surrounded by negative people or people who gossip all the time, I can easily be brought down from "happy" to "grumpy," sometimes I will even be sucked into participating in the complaining. I'm also a worrier. If I am friends with person who is struggling with something or have a student who I know is going through some bad stuff at home, I can stay up at night worrying about things I can do nothing about or about things that don't really affect me personally. My family life is not what I would like it to be. I am frequently disappointed in myself, even when I'm working hard. I also struggle with loneliness or feeling like I don't belong.  Don't even get me started about how I feel when I'm running late. However, I would say that I am a person who is joyful. 

    Joy, to me, means to be happy despite the circumstances that are happening around me.  That doesn't mean that I'm always "the cheery Christian lady" to everyone I meet. There are people who wonder "why I'm always so happy," but I guarantee that "happy" wouldn't be the first word that most people would come up with to describe me. Joy is difficult to explain. I read many articles before writing this post and many authors struggled to come up with how to describe joy. Contentment, happiness, and peace were all mentioned. In general it seemed that people related joy to happiness a lot but it is a deeper, less self-centered happiness. Joy is when you can have a horrible day teaching at school and still know that you are not a failure. It's when you have a bad day and snap at a good friend for no reason, yet still know that they care about you. It's when your kids are misbehaving all day or just insanely crazy and you still understand how blessed you are to have them as your children. It's when you feel like you have not lived up to what God has called you to do yet you know that He will not give up on you

Later, in the sermon I referenced above, the author say:

            We do not have a direct command to always be happy. Neither do we have an

             example of an always-happy Jesus. What we do have is the promise of joy.

             The word in Greek is chairo, described by the ancient Greeks as the 

             "culmination of being" and the "good mood of the soul." Chairo is something,

             the ancient Greeks tell us, that is found only in God and comes with virtue

             and wisdom. It isn't a beginner's virtue, it comes as the culmination. They say

             its opposite is not sadness, but fear.

(credit: http://indulgy.com/post/JIsvi3Mxp1/todayi-choose-joy)

Tomorrow, I would like to talk a bit about how my faith is the source of my joy. 

.

     

31 Days- Joy

So, if you saw my post last night about how I'm not going to be taking part in the 31 days challenge, ignore it.I'm indecisive and was having a huge problem creating a button to put on their site and my blog since I've only done it once before. Ironically, I got so hung up on that that I decided to give up. (I finally created a simple button at Cool Text.)  However, since I've been reading some of the other 31 Days posts, I decided to change my mind.

     I've decided to join the 31 Days challenge hosted by The Nester. It is a challenge to pick a topic and then blog about it for every day in October.   This is my first time doing anything like this so I'm slightly nervous but that makes it exciting too.  I've decided to write about things that bring me joy in these 31 days. These could be deep, personal posts that are really important to me or just little things in life that make me smile. I will come back to this page every night and link up to the pages I have just created. I hope to get to meet more bloggers and connect with new (and old) friends.  I hope you enjoy reading.

Day 1- 31 Days- Joy
Day 2- Joy vs happiness
Day 3- Faith and Joy
Day 4- Timmy
Day 5- Irony
Day 6- David
Day 7- Music
Day 8- Ear worms
Day 9- My town
Day 10- Random Acts of Kindness
Day 11- Happy Mail
Day 12- Noticing the Little Things
Day 13- Quiet Time
Day 14- Relationships
Day 15- Teaching
Day 16- Quotes About Joy
Day 17- Manners
Day 18- Purpose
Day 19- Love
Day 20- Provision
Day 21- Kids
Day 22- Letting Go
Day 23- Doing the Right Thing
Day 24- Pure Joy
Day 25- Friendship
Day 26- Worship
Day 27-One Thousand Gifts Giveaway
Day 28- Take a risk
Day 29- Matt
Day 30- 5 senses
Day 31- End of series

31 Days suggestions

Hi everybody,
   I'd like to take part in the 31 Days challenge to get me back in the habit of writing more often on my blog. If I'm writing for 31 days on 1 topic, I figured I'd ask you guys what you might want to read about. I have a few topics that I'm thinking of but I'm unsure what I really would like to do. I have to decide by tomorrow night. If you have a suggestion, please leave it as a comment. Thanks!

Teaching

      I have almost completed my first month of teaching for this year. I have been thinking a lot about my profession lately. My schedule changed a bit so this year seems a little more hectic but the past few weeks have reminded me how much I love teaching. Here are some notes from the trenches:

- Everybody gives middle school kids a bad name. These kids, trying to be adults, can be the sweetest little people. If they know that you care about them, most of the time they will attempt to do what you ask them (or at least the minimal expectations).  Some of them will go way above and beyond because you took the time and effort to invest in them. If you have prejudged them, they're smart. They can usually tell that right away and you have just made yourself (and your class) unimportant to them.
- If you meet a teacher don't say things like "Oh! You're the music teacher. How FUN!" or "Wow, it must be so nice to not have to do anything during the summer" or talk negatively about other professionals in the building. (or other people's children.. that's really bad too.) You should show interest in what your child might be learning and sharing information about your child is helpful too- especially if they're struggling with something you know that teacher is trying to work on in class.
- Music is an extremely rewarding subject to teach. I have been blessed over the past few weeks while watching kids discover that they're pretty good at things they didn't know they could do, listening to 75 kids ending the day in song, and seeing the students grow in their musicianship over a period of a few years.
- As a teacher, sometimes I know that I am one of the only adults in a student's life that actually cares about their well-being. It's not many kids, but even 1 is just too many. I'm happy to say that I have not discovered "this child" yet for this year but I know that I am very important to many of my students.
-Yes, policies, standardized testing, administration, colleagues, students and parents can all be annoying but I really do love what I do. (And I can be annoying too.. sorry.)

      Here are some things that I have experienced over the past few weeks that have made me smile:
- 8th grade students in a choreography lesson. Adult enough to want to do a good job and have their movement fit to the music but kid enough to be HILARIOUS while doing so. It always surprises me which kids get really into this lesson.
- Having someone in administration mention me in a meeting as someone who works really hard. I wasn't in the meeting and I didn't even know this person had any idea what I actually do. I don't like a lot of recognition or a big deal being made, but an acknowledgement of my efforts over the past years was really touching to me.
- When you give 6th graders a bunch of junk and tell them to make it into an instrument, their creativity will amaze you. One group "invented" an instrument that "sounds like a mix between a trumpet and a dying whale."  It was beautiful.
- I have a group of 8th grade boys writing an opera based on Phineas and Ferb. They make me smile everyday.
- I have to walk my 5th graders from recess to my room every day. I hate lines. I secretly change the pace, walk in zigzags to frequently stop just to see how many funny things they will follow me through. Only 1 girl has caught on.
- I have 6 students who consistently take a few minutes after chorus to straighten up the chorus music.  They have no idea what a blessing it is to me that I don't have to crawl around in my room making sure everybody put their music back where it was supposed to be and that it is neat.
- I got 4 super nice parent e-mails. One e-mail from a dad thanked me for exposing his son to something that he (dad) was really interested in and opening up lots of conversation at home. He also said that he was discouraged at the state of music ed support in our school but very excited that his son had me as a teacher. This kind e-mail touched me deeply. It probably took him 5 minutes to write it. I wish we all did that as parents.
- I have no 7th grade girls who are eye-rollers... yet! Amen.
- I ended my day on Thursday just enjoying listening to my 7th/8th grade chorus. I switched from the role of director to accompanist for a few minutes and just felt proud of all their hard work and how lucky I am to be a part of the lives of these kiddos.
- New students keep signing up for chorus. Friday I had 2 really nice, super sweet 6th grade girls try it out. I always lose a few at the beginning of the year but I think this year I have gained more than I have lost.
- I had 10 students (out of 38 who had the project due) turn in their projects early so I didn't have to grade them all at the same time. They're all high quality work too!
- I got confirmation that we will be bringing a group of current students to see a former student playing a lead in the national tour of Cinderella.
- Every student who says "thank you" or "have a nice day" after a class.
- The fact that I get to laugh at myself every day as well.
-Having 2 days off for Rosh Hashanah. I'm not Jewish so I spent today going out to lunch with my husband, getting a massage and hanging out with my kids once they got home.
- An former student of mine, now in 9th grade, saw me after a faculty meeting and came up to give me a big hug and tell me how much she misses me.
- New lessons that work and watching the engagement of the kids.

    Wow.. I could go on for a while. Unfortunately, sometimes when I hear negativity I can get drawn in and I could write a list just as long and a lot less edifying. I was reading Psalms last night and I read Psalm 141 which said:
Set a guard over my mouth, Lord;
    keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil
    so that I take part in wicked deeds
along with those who are evildoers;
    do not let me eat their delicacies.

   I am not a person who will purposely do anything "wicked" but I can be negative and critical.  I am hoping that I continue to have a great year and that I check in with the blog more often. 

Question for you:

In October I am hoping to join up with 31 Days, I'm having a hard time deciding what to write about. Any ideas? It would be a good time to jump back into primarily writing about my mail but I'm willing to write about anything people are interested in reading about. :)

Have a blessed day! I'd love to hear from you if you are a new reader (and some old friends too!)

How are you?

     You know what one of my pet peeves is? It really bothers me when someone is walking towards you, you said "hello" and they walk by and completely don't acknowledge that you exist. A close second is when you said "How are you?" and people don't answer at all. Realistically though, most Americans (not sure if this is an international thing) will just answer "fine," no matter how they're doing.  Today I was blessed with brutal honesty by someone I have known as an acquaintance for a few years.
     I saw this person and asked how they were doing and they answered by telling me they weren't really doing too well. Not really expecting this I said something like "Oh, I'm really sorry to hear that." After a few minutes he approached me and really opened up, explaining what was going on in the life of himself and his family. (Now, on a side note, anyone who really knows me will know that one of my biggest personal quirks (obsessive compulsive tendencies? annoying traits? lol) is that I CANNOT be late. If there is a real emergency, I can somewhat handle it but I really hate when people are habitually late and I would rather be 2 hours early than 1 minute late. Anyone who knows my husband will know that he is always late. God has a cruel sense of humor.. :)  So, here I am, headed from 1 place to another when this conversation occurs. )  At that moment I realized how rare this occasion was. How often do we have people, especially acquaintances, who really tell us what's going on? People who are really joyful about something going on in their life or struggling with things. How different would the world be if we just honestly listened when people opened their hearts to us? How much of a difference would we make if we showed kindness to someone who might desperately be needing it? How many acquaintances do we know are really going through things when their life looks "fine" from the outside?
     Thank you God for the glimpse inside someone's life and the fact that they trust me enough be able to be that personal with me. I have thought about this person all day and I think I will be thinking about their family for a while. It took 5 minutes of my time to be a friend. I hope I remember that the next time I make being on time more important than a relationship.

Back to school

    This week my boys went back to school. (I went back the week before.) I love the beginning of school. I love seeing the kids come in slightly nervous, but excited about a new year. I love the fact that, for many students, a new year is a chance to start again- no matter how good or bad the year before was. I love seeing the kids connect with new friends as well as meeting up with old ones. I love that my students come back in ready to start where we left off and ready to work hard. I also like being on the lookout for the kids who feel alone or nervous so I can help provide some of them a place where they can be themselves and be valued for it.  I read many articles about the downfall of public education but I assure you, there are many teachers who genuinely love their students and will do anything within their power to help develop them into good people who love to learn.
    Here are my boys and some info about their first week. Here is David:

He just entered 1st grade. We were blessed last year to have a WONDERFUL, caring teacher and I think we are just as blessed this year. He has 2 of his best friends in his class and he is super excited. He is excited to learn more things about math and he is even asking to practice some writing this weekend. Next week he will start all of his specialist classes, which he is excited about. He came home talking about art on Friday and how nice it was for him to see his art teacher. This little gem also came home in his bag. He said a lot of people in his class circled sad or afraid, but he was happy. I wish I could do this at the middle school level.

Timmy:

He started 3rd grade. Honestly, he was a little nervous about this year. There are a few kids in his class that gave him a lot of trouble last year and he only had 1 friend in the room. On a good note, he got the teacher he REALLY wanted (all of the teachers are great.)  So, we were hoping things would go well. At his "meet the teacher" day, he met 2 new students- one from Utah and the other from the UK. He has really bonded with the little boy from the UK and we actually went out for ice cream sundaes last night. I think they will become great friends and we feel super blessed that there is someone he feels like he can connect to. He is also looking forward to his specialist classes, building a working motor this year, science and being a reading buddy with a kindergarten student. I'm really proud at how he is trying to make the 2 new kids know that they are welcome.
    I didn't take a back to school picture of myself. I know you must be truly disappointed.. lol.
    On an interesting note, I read something today that said that little girls in the Ukraine wear flowers in their hair on the first day of school. What a beautiful tradition.

Catch-up postcard post and AJT#4

    Well, summer has officially come to an end for me. I went back to school last week. Though my schedule seems like it will be quite a bit more hectic, I was happy to see all of the students and jump right in with all of my lessons. (The students actually came with me too!) This week I see all of my choruses for the first time. It is always nice to talk to the students to see what is going on with their lives and to hear how they sound mixed with new students. It is also amusing to hear how different my middle school boys sound from one year to the next. I am very excited to watch and hear these young musicians grow over time.
     So, the art has slowed down too. I was working on the AJT3 (accordian book), but I'm still finishing. I'm also working on the vivid flower art journal page. (I might even just start an art journal.. lol)  For now, here's the grid from AJT4. Sorry if the 3 pictures are a little too much but I kept seeing different things as I angled the pad different ways. So, here's everything- with a lot of detail. I really like the sheep square and the 3rd one in on the left side, bottom row- which is a scrap of mine from gelli printing. The colors are more vivid in person. This was fun and therapeutic to do.

    This summer was a lonely summer for my mailbox. (Good thing I have Marianne who won't give up on me!)  Fortunately, it was great for postcards. Here are all the cards received since my last post.

From Russia- The postcard was sent in this cool Olympics envelope.  Does anyone know what the building in the 3rd picture down is? It is written in Russian on the back but... I don't speak Russian. 

 Wild Lithuanian strawberries.

From Ukraine

 From Germany

 Taiwan (the 2nd one depicts the story of Sleeping Beauty)

 The Netherlands

 Czech Republic

 South Africa:

   I think I'm officially caught up now. Oh, speaking of being caught up, if any penpals are reading this and I owe you a letter, please let me know. I have found a lot of older letters around the house but I lost track of which ones I have responded too. I'm not the best housekeeper. 

     I hope you are all blessed, happy and healthy.  Thanks for reading. :)