Men are that they might have JOY.

If there is anything that the women in my family are good at, it's feeling joy. My grandmother passed away long ago, but I will forever remember her infectious laugh, her smile, her wit, her unfailing charm. She knew how to have a good time. And for those of us around her, simply being in her presence was enough.

My mother is the same way. You cannot be around my Mother and not feel joy. It's the thing I remember most about growing up... not necessarily specific moments, just the general feeling of happiness that my mother created in our home. I realize now that much of this feeling was a direct reflection of my mother's attitude and perspective. She was happy. She loved her role as wife and mother, and that sincere feeling of joy quickly and easily permeated the attitudes and feelings of the rest of her family. I told her as much in a conversation not so long ago. I loved her response.

She said, "You know, it wasn't always easy to feel the joy. Some days were harder than others. But I prayed every single morning that the Lord would help me feel it, that he would help me recognize joy."

I love that... the idea of praying to recognize the joy. Certainly, with so many little ones around us, there is no shortage of joyful moments. We need only seek to recognize them for what they are.

In a regional training session given for auxiliary leaders within my church, Sister Barbara Thompson, a counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency spoke about joy. She said that feeling joy is a manifestation of the presence of the Spirit.

Um, how awesome is that?!

I love this point because while I am not often moved to tears from overwhelmingly spiritual experiences, I quite frequently feel like jumping for joy and shouting "Yeehaw!!" at the top of my lungs. Not very reverent, I know, but still an indication that the Lord is with me.

Such a principle is also encouraging in regards to my children. It is often difficult, with so many little ones, to create those moments that will touch their hearts, that will help them know what it feels like to recognize the Spirit, to recognize God.

I won't stop trying to create those moments; but I will also recognize that if I can create a home that is full of joy, that feeling will seep into their little souls just as it did my own when I was growing up. They will learn to recognize not just shallow, temporary happiness, but true joy - joy that comes from living and loving the Gospel, and doing it with a smile on your face.