Me: "Oh NO - I lost my joy!!!!

Bob: "What?"

Me: "I can't find it - I misplaced my joy!"

Bob: "What?"

Me: "You know, the small mixed media collage I was working on last night."

And then it hit me - I was talking about misplacing a physical object - a small work of art that I had been working on, but a spiritual message was right there in front of me! How often have I misplaced my joy? It feels like it's lost, but really it's there, deep down inside, just waiting for me to rediscover it. Ann Voscamp talks about the word "Eucharisteo," giving thanks. Tucked inside of Eucharisteo is the word Charis, meaning grace. And tucked inside Charis is Char, the root word for Joy. Ann talks about her discovery that Joy is most often found tucked inside Thanksgiving. Reading her work has challenged me to find my joy though moment-by-moment thanksgiving. Have you misplaced your joy? Take a moment to thank God for the smallest gift of grace in your life - the warmth of the sun on your face, the sticky, chubby hand of a toddler, the rainbow colors in a soap bubble . . . It's in slowing down and staying alert in the moment that we recognize God's everyday gifts. And it's in giving thanks to the Giver of all good gifts that we find our joy.