Friday Fifteen Freewrite

This is my favorite day to do a freewrite. I guess I like the alliteration in "Friday Fifteen Freewrite"!  

I am experiencing a good bit of joy in my heart right now. For several years now, and in my talks to women's groups in the past, I say that JOY is 

Jesus
Over
You

There is this sense of His presence inside of me that is so endearing. I do not know what today will hold because sometimes my early morning, introverted, quiet time with God is shattered by a cacophony of voices from without, but I will try to hold this time in my heart and do the "Brother Lawrence" thing by Practicing His Presence throughout the day. I do get better at it as I get older, but I know I can always do better. I also know what will get me back on track when I am so "prone to wander" and "leave the God I love." I wonder how many people do not realize how they have wandered from the God they love through worry or anxiety or fear or anger or frustration or people pleasing or making people or things their idols rather than "lifting up their heads" and "letting the King of Glory come in"! It helps to start my day off listening to Messiah in the morning. I love this grand chorus after the resurrection of Jesus. It is pomp and rejoicing over victory over Hell and the enemy. It is the 

"joy of a father at the return of the prodigal son, or the joy of a nation on first hearing the news of liberation after an occupation: for the moment all thought of what is to come is suspended, unrestrained happiness fills life and existence. But the chorus is a conscious manifestation of gratitude and jubilation, an acclamation to the conqueror at his entry into the city. It is far more a question of an organized act of homage" (From Stapert's Handel's Messiah: Comfort for God's People and quoting somebody else, but the footnotes are not formatted on my Kindle. I will look it up later).

I only quoted that because I was talking about listening to that, and it was right next to me on the other pane of my computer. So, I didn't have to take my fingers off the keys even though I was quoting someone else. It was appropriate for my theme of joy! LOL! I wrote a thankfulness 

Freewrite on Facebook already today, and I will cut and paste it here:

Thankful today for sunshine, cooler temperatures, blue sky, legs to walk in it, my daily "walk around the block", chai tea, pictures of loving friends that I see here on Facebook (The bride and groom above are in town, and we are seeing them tomorrow!!!), a calorie deficit even after eating pie on 4th of July, just enough soreness after a little bit of running yesterday, Handel's "Lift up Your Heads -- He is the King of Glory" song that sends me dancing in my living room, Calvin Stapert who wrote a beautiful book about Handels' Messiah (and answered an email I sent him with a question), Ephesians 2 and forgiveness, and a lunch with two sweet sisters who used to babysit me growing up in El Segundo, California (my dad was best man in their parents' wedding in the 40's). "My heart overflows with a good theme" (Psalm 45).

What are you thankful for? I did a freewrite about it just now.

Michael's alarm just blared, and my peaceful quiet of the morning will be shattered, but I will hold this time in my heart throughout the day and be peaceful. I hear George's ankles clicking. He is such an extrovert. He loves to talk once he wakes up enough to talk. I am living on borrowed time, but it is blessed time even when they are up and stirring. I realized yesterday what a blessed family I have because we all get along so well, and there is no tension when we have nowhere to go on 4th of July, and it is just us. Even when we were down at the neighbors' houses watching their fireworks, my kids were standing watching and talking and laughing between themselves. They are very nice kids. They have a nice father to look up to so how could they be otherwise?

Happy 5th of July as the buzzer rings, and I send with no proofreading!   :)