A Cup of Joy

Yesterday was one of those days that I wish could happen more often.  It started out with packing up my coffee maker and bringing it with me to Sunday School to share with my friends.  We had a wonderful breakfast together celebrating the ending of our study while we shared what God has done for us this summer.  Those ladies have no clue what they do to my heart.  

When Sunday School was finished I went downstairs to see my mom and dad sitting there in church with my husband.  After giving hugs and kisses I turn around there is my cousin walking up to me to say hello.  It's a true blessing when I get to share my time with both my church family and my family.  Our little boys love each other and I just love every moment of it.  With our busy lives we really don't get to share our lives together but because of God, He's arranging time for those boys to be together.  At the end of the service, my son asks if they can come over.  That very second, my mind flashed to all the dishes on the counter, the bags of groceries still sitting on the kitchen table, I was pretty sure there were pretzel crumbs still on the floor from two nights before.   It was an ending of a very busy week.   Something came over me, normally I would have said "maybe another day" knowing I'd be extremely embarrassed from the mess but instead I said yes.  So here we are an hour later sitting at my dining room table laughing and enjoying each other while drinking our coffee....mom's drinking tea.  The mess was still there and a couple times I just had to shrug off that feeling and remember how much joy it was to just be with them. 

 After my company left, I found myself on the couch with the cat and dog cuddled up together sound asleep.  My husband was on one end of the couch and I on the other end both falling asleep.  I actually took a nap.  Then my son woke me up thrilled that his friend down the street was allowed to come over.  I was so happy for him because it's not very often that his friends come knocking for him.  Of course at that second, I thought about the mess that was in the boy's room.  I shrugged it off and just accepted that the mess was going to be there while he enjoyed his time with his friend.

Later on that evening when his friend went home, we took a walk down the street together.  When coming back I realized that my neighbor called.  I called her back and just right on the spot asked her to join me on my porch...knowing there was a mess still left in the kitchen and dinner was still to be made.  We talked about getting together on our porches all Summer and never did it.  

We sat together drinking our coffee and sharing what God has been doing for us all Summer.  It felt so good to be in the company of a friend.  The two of us had dinner on my porch and we laughed, talked and shed tears that we both tried to hide.  The both of us have so many things in common but there is one thing we really have in common, our love for Jesus and I think we both know that's something really special between us.   I let time and messes separate me from being with her and I can't take the Summer back.   I let the mess go and this was the perfect way to end a perfect day.  

As a new season approaches us and life gets even more busier with school days, I'm going to use yesterday as a great reminder to stop putting things off.  Stop saying no because of a few silly dishes and start saying yes.  The messes will always be there but the moments here on this earth will slip away with time and I won't even even realize how much I've missed out on those blessings.  So in the midst of my busy life I will make it my goal to always have at least two clean cups ready to share my time with whoever God will put in my path.