Finding Joy: Wood=Winter Warmth

I have to give you a little background on the Finding Joy posts I'm trying to do.  I got the inspiration for these from Leigh Ann at Your Home Based Mom.  She makes a point to look for beautiful things and see the wonder in the world.  I'm trying to find the joy in small and simple things.  The past 2 years have been really hard on our family.  Between having our own personal economic meltdown, having nearly everything we own fall apart, Chad working 2 jobs and 7 days a week to make up for a temporary lay off from the part time job, I am pretty much at my wits end.  There are days I don't think I can take one more thing.  It's days like that when I need something to make me smile and something to be grateful for.  That is the purpose behind these posts.  They remind me that even when I feel like I'm being smothered by life, there are still things to be happy about and to be grateful for.  Things that bring joy.  Those things are different for everyone, but it is really important to look for and recognize the small and simple things.  The things that really matter.

Every fall we head up to the mountains of central Utah to cut firewood.  We usually start in early September so I get to watch the leaves change from green to yellow to red as the season progresses.
 

We get to enjoy the clean fresh air, the smell of the pine trees and the beauty of God's creations.  The Utah mountains are among the most spectacular and beautiful places on earth. 

I love to hear the sound of the chain saws as they cut through dead logs and smell the sawdust that lay in piles all around.  Its a lot of work, but its also something I look forward to every year.  Not only do I love the whole process of cutting fire wood, but I love the security that I feel when the wood shed is full. 



I love knowing that we will be warm in the winter, that there will be a cozy fire to curl up next to on the long cold winter nights.  I can watch the flames dance and hear the burning wood sizzle and pop.



That in the evenings I can curl up with a cup of hot chocolate

and my favorite book, and be perfectly content.