I like cancelled plans,
and empty bookstores.
I like rainy days and thunderstorms.
And quiet coffee shops.
I like messy beds and
over-worn pajamas.
Most of all, I like the
small joys that a simple
life brings.
extrememadness.com
Small joys.
Some days they seem few, others the day is fairly bursting with them. Some days they pop in unexpectedly, other days I need to look harder, or even look back.
Looking back takes me to our little town of Iroquois and a second hand store called New to You. It was ancient. It smelled of damp. The uneven floors were made of wood and they creaked alarmingly.
It was loaded with junk.
It was full of treasures.
Anything from harnesses for horses to china teacups. Chances are, they were right next to each other. And books. The books, of course, were my favorite part. Stacks and stacks and rows and rows. I usually left with a book or two. Sometimes they were keepers, sometimes not. That musty old book smell still makes me think of New to You, no matter if the book came from there or not. It makes me smile!
There is nothing better than a Sunday morning when the wind is whipping it up and church is cancelled. We can slowly sip our tea, making breakfast a long lazy affair. It feels good to be tucked in our house while the snowstorm is raging, knowing we are all safe and secure, happy and fed. (And lest you think I am not a church goer, I also love a Sunday morning service.)
And the coffee shops I have been in.
I love all of them, but the best by far and away was Strange Brew in Starkville, Mississippi. My co-teacher and I went there just before school ended. It was raining buckets. We got our coffee (most likely Americans with Dove chocolates) and went upstairs. We sat looking out at the grey wet day. It exactly mirrored our moods. Looking back, it’s a small joy in my past. Such good friends I had, and just because we don’t see each other often does not make them less special.
Abandoned homesteads always make me whistful. I love stopping in and snooping around. It gives me a bit of joy to look into the past and see what life may have been like.
School is more than just a small joy in my life. We are lucky to be the curriculum people in our congregation. I am the first one to crack open those boxes of books and see all the potential there. I love ordering and sorting the books when they get here. I also love being at school in the summer, making sure all the books are in the right room and most likely remembering all the good times I had as a teacher! We are in the process of building a new school right now, and I’m looking forward to the joy of getting everything moved over there!
My girls are both in school now, and its so much fun to see what they are learning. They come home with so much in their heads. It is amazing to me how easily children learn things.
Ideas for supper is another thing that bring joy on a daily basis. Anyone that is looking in the fridge at 5:00 knows the intense joy when an idea comes that you actually have the ingredients for.
A cleaned up house at bedtime is a thing of beauty. Sometimes my husband even helps pick up. That brings joy, too.
Girls that are big enough to dress themselves, take showers and set the table is a huge joy in my life. Babies are great, but it only gets better from there.
A day when my husband is home for lunch. That’s rare, but I always enjoy it. You want to know a secret, though? I am glad for the days he’s not home, too. I get more done.
Socks that match in my girls socks basket. Enough said.
And last, but certainly not least, all of you that actually read the stuff Liz and I write. It gives us both great joy to get comments from you letting us know that you enjoyed an article
What are your small joys? Wishing you many in the rest of February!
-Eva
So She Reads 
27 responses to “Small Joys in February”
My smallest, cheapest, most looked-forward-to joy is the early morning quiet. No one else is awake. It’s just me, my Bible, my prayer journal, and my almost full coffee pot. Not even the sun has drug himself up outta his “bed”.
Another of my joys is winter. Cold, dreary, grey days when the sun never does manage to show its face. Doesn’t get much better than that…and I’d give a lot to be able to haunt New to You with you again. You’re right — the musty scent in that store is unforgettable. 🤭
Beth, I like the grey days, too, but I gotta have a little sunshine in between. Wouldn’t going to New to You together, again, be a blast?!
I enjoyed your blog today! …small joys…pussywillows brought in by your little boy, a sleeping baby who you are babysitting, getting the laundry done so your son can head for boy’s class…we are blessed. ❤️
Sounds like you have good things going on!
Love it Eva! Some of the smallest things, bring the greatest joy! 🖤
Noticing them helps keep me contented, too. 💚
This blog is a small joy of mine. Another blog that touched my heart. Not so good for me tonight, makes a bit too lonesome.
Thanks, Charity 💚
Simple joys…
Winter sun shining through the green leaves of house plants🪴
A tray of freshly germinated seeds🌿
Baking bread
My daughter’s efforts at decorating her room🤭
A new gardening book and a roaring 🔥
Sounds very cozy!
I love reading about your small joys, when in reality they are what make up our life and how we respond!
I am going to count my small joys more often, thanks for the inspirational reading!
Your distant cousin!
Hey Andrea, it was a good reminder for me, too!
The sun pouring into my south windows in Winter, turning my kitchen into golden prettiness.
The birdbath outside my kitchen window. When it’s not frozen over the sparrows come and are busy about their ablutions, eight or more at a time, enjoying it immensely. Brings me joy to watch them. In Summer I can see a lovely pink Aunt Honey rose blooming beside it.
Jill, glad there’s some joys in the far frozen north land 🤭
Small joys…I enjoyed this Eva! I alway do love your posts (I just don’t get them all read)
A fun eve with YOU… this was a HUGE joy but it didn’t take much effort and was so rewarding!
Resting on my living room couch in a quiet spic and span house (it only lasted a couple of hours😉)…the messy office after my girls had made mommy valentine cards all on their own… making cookies for my son to take on a venture out of state…cleaning left overs out of the fridge… a joke between mom and daughter…dreaming of birthday parties and what shall we have to eat… sourdough baking…trying to decide who to have for a heart sister…sunshine…oh how I love sunshine…outdoor walks…a dress that fits my daughter and she LOVES it!
Beth, that was a joy, wasn’t it? I love your list, too 💚
You girls are able to write what I feel. I love it.
Thank you ☺️
When My house is tidy and the floors are clean.
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div>When my litt
A clean house is a great joy!
Small joys, yes. Why does it take an effort to remember to notice them?
A good cup of coffee
Finding the top of the desk
Using my handmade paper
Love this post!
I like this one especially: finding the top of the desk!! 👍🏼
I’m recently retired so my joys are endless, like sleeping in cause I don’t have to drive a school bus anymore. Enjoying whatever winter brings cause I don’t have to drive a school bus anymore 🙂 Longs walks with my dog everyday, learning a new town, making new friends and, did I mention, it’s a joy not to have to drive a bus anymore 😀
Sound like you have a good life, Cynthia ☺️ I can understand that driving a bus would be hectic!
“Babies are great, but it only gets better from there” 🤍
You agree?!
Oh yes!