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alt="April Joy Jar"

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Welcome back to the Joy Journal! <br><br>

In March, I wrote about a “seek-and-find” kind of joy that fit with the slow reawakening of early spring. Here in April, I’m finding that joy has been more of a surprise that just shows up unexpectedly on your doorstep. The garden is blooming, the joy jar is filling, and I’m eager to reflect on a lovely month.

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alt="MarchJoy Jar"

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Welcome back to the Joy Journal! <br><br>

We had many entries in the joy jar this month, and most of them have a special common denominator: G. He’s even the one who decorated the joy jar’s shelf this month. Fittingly, this month’s joy journal is…

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alt="February Joy Jar"

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Welcome back to the Joy Journal! <br><br>

In these final few days of February, I am happy to cozy up on the couch with my laptop to reflect on the joys it brought. Our joy jar has quite a few more folded-up papers of memories in it today. Earlier this month, I happened upon a Psychology Today article about joy. This quote stayed with me: "Tiny joys are not a denial or wishful thinking. They don’t cancel the reality of the storm; they keep it from becoming your whole universe." I think this nicely captures the root of why G and I are keeping joy in our focus this year. For us, it’s not to pretend that every moment has been joyful, but to gently remember that joy has indeed been plentiful. <br><br>

With that in mind, here are my reflections about the many tiny joys that kept us smiling throughout February.

Welcome to the Joy Journal! <br><br>

For 2026, Garrett and I set an intention to make “more joy” our focus. We’re only a few weeks in, and I have already found this mindset so helpful. One way I plan to carry out our intention is by writing this new series. I would love it to become a collection of monthly reflections that magnify the goodness of each season: full of little moments that matter to us. I’m excited to see how it takes shape! <br><br>

With that introduction, here are just a few of the things that made us smile in January.