Before I begin today’s prompts, I wanted to reflect on this flow process. Although the questions don’t always require deep development, the words seems to translate into deeper meaning. I feel that my spiritual journey has such a strong impact on my life decisions that it’s transferring over into the written word. God is my number one and sometimes the hardest way to show that is through honesty and vulnerability. This challenge is forcing me to do just that.

Today’s prompts:

• Five things that make me happy…
• Five of my happiest moments have been…

Five things that make me happy

1. Serving God and others – When you take your attention off yourself, you start to see what’s really important in life. Recently I helped serve the homeless with my church ministry. For the past dozen years, a group has gathered every Monday night, rain or shine to serve the hundreds of starving homeless in Las Vegas. I was astonished to see the winding line of hungry people needing help in my own backyard. It wasn’t just a few dirty old guys I’ve seen on the side of the freeway. It was Moms and their children and babies not even older enough to walk. It was grandmothers that should be at warm in their homes. Despite their situations, every one of these people were beyond grateful for whatever food and clothing we were donating. That is true happiness.
2. My Family – As cliché as it sounds, my family is crazy, but I love them. Whether we’re arguing or laughing ’til we cry, I’d never replace them.
3. My Dog, Fiona – A Maltese poodle whose name is just as sassy as her personality, what can’t you love. And yes she’s named after Princess Fiona from Shrek.
4. Owls – Not completely sure when or where this began, but the excitement of adding a new owl item to my collection never lessens.
5. Cirque Du Soliel – The beauty of the story and acrobatics is beyond anything I can put into words. A performer creates a story without ever speaking a word. They can make the audience feel happy, sad and always mesmerized. Each talent is an art form in itself.

Five of my happiest moments

1. My Baptism – I devoted my life to a higher purpose and washed away the sinful person I had allowed myself to become. As I rose from the water, I walked out a stronger woman and a disciple of Jesus Christ.
2. Reuniting with my boyfriend – After six months of silence and all hope lost, God answered the quietest prayers. There we stood in the middle of the park confessing what we never thought would happen and realizing God had greater plans all along.
3. Graduating college – Finally crossing that stage allowing joy and relief to wash over me as I realize I’ve finally made it.
4. My nephews birth – Although this will never compare to the feeling my sister and her husband had seeing their son for the first time, meeting my nephew was life changing. Everyone always talks about how beautiful life, but you can never imagine God’s greatest miracle.
5. Winning Cheer National Champions – Don’t let the pom poms fool you, cheer isn’t just “Go team go!” Try practicing four days a week a minimum of three hours a day, and that was pre-competition season. Increase that to everyday with full run throughs.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” – Galatians 5:22