SPEAKING JOYFULLY
Wonderful Words of Love – Not Only on Valentine’s Day
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Words of love and friendship in card art soar for Valentine’s Day! Greeting cards are the second most popular item given, accounting for about 40% of the gifts for the heart-hugging holiday. Candy leads the way at 57%, with flowers...
The Beep Goes On
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Beep.Beep.Beep.Beep. The sound seemed to be coming from me, but I checked my phone and that wasn’t it. Beep.Beep.Beep.Beep. People in the hospital waiting room turned to look at me. Beep.Beep.Beep.Beep. What was that? Could that...
That Heart
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com I giggled with delight when a giant heart popped around the doorway quickly followed by my husband. Charlie surprised me last year with the biggest Valentine’s Day heart I’d ever received – large enough to cover my head - and my...
Hometown Church Heart-Coming
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com My hometown church wasn’t the biggest, the fanciest or the wealthiest in town. But a lot of love was there. Love for God and love for each other. The simple cross and stained-glass windows clearly identified it as a house of...
Winnie the Pooh Thoughts and Word Treasures
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com What pops in your mind when you think of Winnie the Pooh? A childhood book? An animated film? A Disney ride? For almost a century, Winnie the Pooh has been climbing into the hearts and minds of children (and adults) spreading...
The Great Cleanout
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Under the surface of our beautiful water feature, debris can pile up causing decay. In order to keep it running optimally, an annual cleanout is needed. During the fall, countless leaves find their way in. They discolor the water,...
The Word to Focus On
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com The new year stirs the desire to set goals, to release things from the past, and to declare intentions. One activity that has become more widespread in place of those rarely completed resolutions is picking an overarching word for...
Decorating the Tree
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Strewn about on the floor near the brightly lit tree lay a variety of Christmas ornaments. Each one carrying the memory of a place, a person, or experience. The bird in the tree painted as a childhood project with my mom. The...
Why Give Thanks?
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Thankful. Grateful. Blessed. That’s the message my lightweight, midnight blue, long-sleeved shirt carries, but the meaning isn’t lightweight at all! When we are truly thankful for the grace we’ve been given and the mercy we’ve...
What Falling Leaves Show Us – Release to Renew!
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Fall reminds us of the value of release – of letting go. As the leaves turn colors, change is taking place and prompting action. Leaves falling show us the need to release that which once brought oohs and aahs in order to make room...