When Joy is lost

Today is Five Minute Friday hosted by Lisa Jo Baker.  Lisa provides us each week with a one word prompt.  Our exercise is to take this prompt and write for 5 minutes flat about whatever that word brings to mind.  Lisa encourages us to just write from the heart without over thinking or over editing.  Just write and let it flow.  Please join us for this exercise that encourages us to write just for the JOY of writing.

Oh, and speaking of JOY...it is our prompt today.

GO

About 8 years ago I got very sick.  I had a complete and total mental meltdown.  I didn't feel it coming on or at least I didn't acknowledge it until the day that I lost my Joy.

It was the 4th of July and we were heading north to see my Traverse City family.  Normally the thought of spending time with Lili and Spencer overflows my heart with Joy.  They are soooo very important to me and I love spending any time with them that I possibly can.

But this time, as we were driving north, it struck me that I had no Joy in my heart.  I just wanted to turn around and go home.  The tears started flowing and they did not stop for several days.  The fact that I had lost my Joy in seeing my kids was a huge wake up call for me.

I spent the next few days up north with people I love and with whom I feel safe.  Mostly crying and being comforted.  When we returned home, Frank encouraged me to seek some help but I insisted that I was fine now, got up, got dressed and headed into work.

STOP

There you go folks.  These prompts fill my head with thoughts and then only gives me 5 minutes to attempt to get those thoughts across to you, my reader.  The rest of this story is a long journey but be assured it has a happy ending.  I'll share the rest of that journey with you one day.