Has a week past already?? Wow. My baby has been sick this week and I feel like a zombie...walking around with no sleep is not an easy task.

Baily (5) said to her dad the other morning when he was trying to wake her up for school, "I would rather eat DIRT than get up right now! That is how bad I don't want to get up!" I totally agree with her and I would rather eat dirt right now than have another sleepless night with a coughing, fevering baby! He is much better today, so I may get a good night sleep yet.

It is amazing to me how different my life has been by making these seemingly small changes in my thinking and language. Just like the scripture that says, "By small and simple things are GREAT things come to pass." Don't ever underestimate the power that small changes in your thought patterns or language have on you and those around you.

I want to share one thing that has completely shifted for me since I have started this JOY JOURNEY. It is about money. You may wonder how money relates to JOY. Well, if you have ever struggled financially, you know that MONEY can sometimes be DIRECTLY related to JOY.

It was pay day on Monday. I was really looking forward to going grocery shopping and having some money to get somethings we really needed. I walked into the living room that morning where James was sitting with the lap top. I could FEEL the negative energy in the room. The look on his face didn't help either! Something had happened with his pay check (taxes...something complicated...) and we were shorted almost $400. That is a lot of money to us!! FOOD money!!

The feelings came immediately. Hopelessness. Anger. Sadness. Panic. The feeling of wanting to run away and hide. These feelings, associated with money, have been my constant companion. Me and money have a very unfriendly relationship. Money has never done anything for me. I could never trust money and it seemed to run away screaming whenever it got close.

I felt myself retracting into the space inside of me that is designated for money troubles, when, like a switch, I remembered JOY. I remembered all of the things I have been learning about myself, my internal beliefs and the promise I have made to myself to not be a victim anymore. I had made the realization a couple of weeks before that money was no longer going to be my ENEMY. It had no power. It was just money.

My loving Heavenly Father, in his infinite wisdom and love, was testing me. He was saying, "You said you wanted to change, here is your chance."

I was amazed at how easy it was to just shake it off. I told James, "Everything will work out." He gave me a surprised look, and I even had to go look in the mirror to make sure I was still ME.

Can I tell you what an empowering experience that was for me. I was no longer a victim to money. I could control how I reacted. James and I sat down, rearranged our money plan and continued on through the day, experiencing JOY in our children, our home and each other.