I added a button to the sidebar on my blog::

I've been seeing it on some of my favorite blogs and clicked over to Erin's Bluebirdbaby and read her post on choosing, consciously choosing happiness, joy, love, goodness, awesomeness.
She writes:: I'm reminded every single day I come on here, that I can choose. And that's what I do. I consistently choose, because that's our gift. And I don't want to waste such a wonderful gift as that. Would you?!
I am resonating with the reminder to choose to think on the lovely, the admirable, the true, the excellent, the praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8)
We all know that life is still going to hand us hard situations. Really hard ones. Some are long-lasting (tough relationships, chronic illness, grief), others are short-lived (like Isaac's root canal yesterday), but they'll come. As long as we live and breathe, there will be heavy hard things that come.
And we can choose how we respond. We can look for the bit of goodness (a favorite cup of coffee, the smile of a friend, a bit of hand-work, a hug from a kiddo or a spouse). We can choose where we put our focus. We can feel first and act out of our feelings, or we can choose our actions and our feelings will follow. They really will. If I choose to focus on the good (even if the good, right now, is the smell of coffee in my cup), if I choose to focus on that, my mood is lighter, my responses to my husband and my kids and other people I have to deal with are more gentle and kind.
I can choose joy. I can choose goodness. I can choose peace. I wrote a post about this a while ago. It's a list of choices that I revisit, that I should revisit more often. I've put a button on my sidebar for this list of choices, as well::

you are welcome to use this button if you wish
<a href="http://bitsofsunshine.typepad.com/bits_of_sunshine/2009/08/morning-reflection-.html"><img
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Today I am choosing joy and peace in spite of another grey, cold day and a little boy who is having a difficult time doing anything other than what he wants. I am refusing to allow his negative attitude dictate our day. I am choosing to maintain peace and am hopeful that I can help him to choose some joy. What will you choose today?