SPEAKING JOYFULLY
13 Ways to Remember on Memorial Day
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com We choose to remember so we do not forget. The young man in uniform placed the flag in my hands after he and another military man folded it with precision. Light mist surrounded us as we gathered under the tent...
My Friend’s got Cancer – and Courage
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com My friend has cancer. The esophageal and gastric kind. One no one really talks about. She’s going through life as a non-smoking empty-nester, still working, cooking meals, eating healthy,...
Life Examples from the most well-known Mother
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com As we celebrate the moms and mother figures in our lives this Mother’s Day, we think back to what we discovered through their influence. What we can learn from the life of the mother of Jesus is...
What Would Jesus Say at Graduation?
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Do you remember your graduation speaker? Can you recall anything specific that was said? Recently I asked some friends if anyone remembered the keynoter at their graduation. Only one out of seven did and that...
What’s the Wonder?
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com When you think about a popular identifier starting with Wonder ________, what comes to mind? Wonder Woman? Wonder Bread? Wonder Drug? The world is full of wonder – and God intentionally made it that...
Does the Score Really Matter?
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Thankfully my sense of worth isn’t based on my bowling score. When you’re bowling with a bunch of women called “Almost†bowlers in a...
Airline Delay is Music to the Soul
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Sometimes a delay gives us time and space to open our ears to the music inside us. The announcement penetrated the din of the airport cacophony, wiping out my previous anticipation of getting home on time from...
Make Your “Thank You” Meaningful
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com In today’s busy world, getting a “Thank You†note is something to cheer about in itself. But how do we make our notes of appreciation less perfunctory and...
The Conversation Started with a Rembrandt Painting
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com In the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, my Russian guide and I got into a conversation about faith. In front of the famous painting portraying Abraham and his son Isaac, she questioned how a loving God could...
9 “L” Steps for Happiness
@Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Everyone’s talking about happiness – how to find it, how to achieve it, and how to keep it. The United Nations even named March 20 as the International Day of Happiness. Can...