LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  243 

(July 7, 2009)

Wow! Over the past little while I have found out what happiness truly feels like. I’ve been removed from that feeling for so long and become so unfamiliar with it that I actually feel kind of high, though my friends say I’m acting quite normal. Just the happy Marja they haven’t seen for a long time.

Looking back over the past 8 months or perhaps longer – perhaps much longer – I can see that I’ve been depressed, even though at times I thought I was doing alright. I wasn’t doing alright. I had forgotten what it was to be truly happy.

Truth of it is that my husband had to help me with many things that I should have been quite capable of doing on my own. I’ve needed him so much – with cooking, shopping, cleaning, paying bills. For a long time I’ve been avoiding shopping, buying only as few things as I could get away with. No big shopping lists for me. Though the motivation only completely disappeared during the times I was extremely low, which happened a lot, I was very often only moderately motivated. And at those times I thought I was doing quite well. I was coping.

But things could have been much worse. I was able to keep my commitments. Living Room continued, though I had to lean on others to do the devotionals a few times. I was able to keep supporting individuals, though there was one time when someone asked me to pray with her and I had to tell her I couldn’t. I was having too hard a time myself.

I’m grateful that God brought me through as well as he did. I’m grateful I have a ministry that is of utmost importance to me, one that gives me a purpose to live for. I’m grateful that I was able to keep clinging to God, even though I didn’t always trust him as much as I should. Grateful for my husband and friends who supported me. Yes, things could have been much worse.

Today I know what joy feels like. I’m energetic, motivated. Eager to continue the work God gave me to do.

With other people in place to carry on the responsibilities of my group, I’ll have time to spend the next while doing some of the broader Living Room work. Work on the manuals, the website, and – hopefully – some more writing.

I thank God for where he’s brought me. God IS good.