It's so bittersweet...

Bittersweet.

This word has been on my mind a lot recently.

It's not any one thing. It's All. The. Things.

Susan Cain's book, Bittersweet, was one of my favorite reads last year. (Oprah recently picked it for one of her Book Club picks too!) Bittersweet is based on the premise that "light and dark, birth and death—bitter and sweet—are forever paired". Cain defines bittersweetness as "a tendency to states of longing, poignancy, and sorrow; an acute awareness of passing time; and a curiously piercing joy at the beauty of the world."

Whew. That describes how I'm feeling these days.

Maybe it's because my daughter is a high school senior...

Maybe it's because our world is full of so much suffering...

Maybe it's because my hormones are out of whack...

Who knows?

I do know that I'm noticing the changing of the seasons, the sunny days and early darkness, and the "lasts" of so many things in a way I haven't before.  Maybe it's because the horrors of the news are too big to wrap my mind around. Maybe it's because I don't know how to be a responsible consumer of the news and still maintain my mental health. Maybe it's because I sometimes feel guilty for things being okay, even joyful, in the face of hardship all around me.

I believe it's okay to be joyful in these times. 
It might even be necessary to survive them.

C.S. Lewis used the phrase "stabs of joy" in his writing after World War 2. And gosh, that's how it feels sometimes, doesn't it? He says, "Joy dashes in with the agility of a hummingbird claiming its nectar from the flower, and then zips away. It pricks, then vanishes, leaving a wake of mystery and longing behind it." Beautiful.

In this season, I'm specifically looking for joy in the little things. I'm trying to find more sweet than bitter. I'm paying attention to the things that bring a smile to my face without me realizing it.  I'm noticing when a "stab of joy" catches me by surprise.

One of the ways I'm doing this is by participating in the "liturgy of the little things" over on Instagram.  It's a brilliant way to hold yourself accountable to look for those things that remind you that you are alive for the month of November.  It has been so precious to see what others are tagging too.

Here's one of my photo posts from this week. No big surprise that it involves fall, books, and tea with me!

I felt a stab of joy at this moment of peace and safety while the sun shone on my face and the wind blew the pages of my book.

If you're facing something hard, I hope you feel a bittersweet, "stab of joy" this week that reminds you that you are loved.  If you're expecting something amazing, I hope the joy of it fills you from head to toe.

And, if you want to follow along on IG, you can find me here and more about the Liturgy of the Little Things and the creator Sarah E. Westfall here.

Friends, in the face of so many big things, let's pay attention to the little things with love, ok?