Sometimes joy is just a walk in the yard with the dogs and a handful of flowers...

So often when we think about the things that make us happy, that bring us joy, we think of big things. For me, more and more, it is the simplest of things. Today, walking with the dogs in our backyard, I picked early daffodils and wild snowflakes, those delicate little white bells with tiny green dots on the tips of each petal, bright yellow stamens inside, and a delicious sweet fragrance. They are all the more precious because they are "volunteers." This is my 4th February in this place and the first two years there was not a snowflake in sight. Last year they appeared, spottily, around the yard. Today I picked the first one. 

Today, too, I found, once again, that what Camus wrote is true for me once again. He wrote, "In the midst of winter I found that there was in me an invincible summer." And so there is. And this winter's day I found the tiny flowers that made their way here and survive despite the odds. There is great comfort in that. 

Tonight, I feel joy.