Hi! This is my first blog. The goal of my blog is to share finding Joy No Matter What. My family has had to deal with a lot of sorrow over the last 7 1/2 years and I have chosen Joy over sorrow. It does not mean that I have not gone through the grieving process, but I have chosen to find the joy in the mourning. I plan on using my life experience along with the scriptures to look at experiencing joy no matter what.

I have been gifted with smiles and a positive attitude, so much so that former co-workers would tell me I was too perky for 6:30 am while they were struggling to wake up with cups of coffee and I just greeted them with a cheerful, "Good Morning." Strangers have approached me and thanked me for my smiles. I am pretty easy going and will usually go with the flow. Don't get me wrong, I don't let people walk all over me.

I started thinking about this subject 7 1/2 years ago when our 29 year old daughter passed away. For about 16 years, she suffered from multiple medical problems after being hit by a car. The damage/injury was simple we thought, but the sprained knee turn out to be a torn ACL and later we discovered her body did not produce enough collagen so she had multiple joint and ligament injuries. Injuries never healed normally. As a result, she developed RSD a chronic pain disorder. After a hit and run car accident in May of 2002, her right shoulder was dislocated in the accident. RSD resettled in her shoulder and she endured severe pain. As a result of some other medical procedures and a change in medications, Michelle overdosed on her pain meds. One does not expect to come home and find their daughter has passed away. Shock, disbelief, denial, and a whole list of emotions took over. A fog covers one during this time. One does things by rote if it is important, and other things fall by the side for a while.

But in all of this, God was there. More on that tomorrow.