JOY WITH "YAH YAH"!

"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy," Peter 1:8

Have you ever experienced inexpressible joy in the midst of great stress and uncertainty?  What did that feel like?  How is that even possible?  Sometimes, sudden life changes can turn everything upside down.  In many cases, these sudden changes can even tear a family apart.  But, God is faithful and He always delivers on His promises!

Last October, we received a call that would change the Watson household dynamics for the next seven months.  We were given the opportunity to help a family member in caring for their child.  We received a gift in our little 2 year-old cousin A'veiya.  She couldn't say her name so she called herself "Yah Yah".  Caring for a girl was quite a challenge plus it's been years since our boys were that age.  Believe me when I tell you that Yah Yah was a HAND-FULL!  She had so much energy!  She was super intelligent mentally and physically; she was as adorable as they come; she was the toughest little girl I've ever seen and she absolutely loved our family (we love her too).  

There was just one little thing...that stubborn temper!  She was so sweet and loving at times and then she would absolutely "Hulk-Out" other times.  This went hand in hand with her toughness.  There was nothing that could hurt this little bundle of love; from stepping in fire ant piles, to face-planting after tripping over a toy, to getting bucked off when trying to rodeo ride our dogs, Yah Yah was virtually invincible!  When she wanted something, she didn't back down.  I often joked that she will be the next UFC Champion.  She was so tough, but so sensitive to when anyone else was feeling bad or hurt.  She always came over and rubbed her hands on us to make everything better.  

Remember that I said she was intelligent?  This little butterfly loved the essential oil blend Joy.  I would rub it on her feet whenever we changed her diaper and before bed.  She actually asked for essential oils by name when ever she got minor scrapes and bumps, as well as whenever she got angry.  It all seemed to help her and all of us to calm down.  Because she loved Joy, I made sure we had plenty of it.  We even diffused it everyday while she was here.  We had many challenges with Yah Yah.  But, with those challenges came much joy and many blessings!  We became stronger as a family and Yah Yah taught us a lot about ourselves.  We will truly miss her around here!

John 16:24 "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."