Willow is Teaching Me About Joy

On Sunday, my sister and five of her grandchildren came to visit, and it turned out to be one of those simple, beautiful days that fills your heart.

The kids spent hours running around outside, laughing and playing. One of my favorite moments was pushing five-year-old Willow on the tree swing in our backyard.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved swinging. There’s something peaceful about it. As you glide back and forth, the worries of the day seem to fade away. I love looking up at the trees, feeling the breeze, and watching the world blur as I soar through the air.

But Willow loves swinging even more than I ever have.

As I pushed her higher and higher on Sunday, I found myself wondering why. You see, Willow is blind.

She can’t see how high she’s going. She can’t watch the trees rush past. She can’t admire the scenery or the blue sky overhead. And yet she absolutely loves to swing.

In fact, whenever we’re together—whether at my house, my mom’s house, or anywhere else—it’s one of the first things she asks for.

“Aunt T, can we swing?”

As I listened to her laughter on Sunday, it occurred to me that perhaps she experiences something many of us forget.

She doesn’t need to see everything to experience joy. She feels the wind on her face. She feels the movement. She feels the freedom. She feels the love of the person standing behind her, giving her that next push.

And somehow, that’s enough. Maybe that’s a lesson for all of us.

We spend so much time focusing on what we don’t have, what we can’t do, what we’re missing, or what we wish were different. We wait for perfect circumstances before allowing ourselves to be happy.

But joy often arrives in much simpler ways. A swing. A summer breeze. The laughter of a child. Time spent with family.

The quiet assurance that God is present, even when we can’t see everything He’s doing.

Willow reminded me that some of life’s greatest blessings aren’t always seen with our eyes. Sometimes they’re experienced with our hearts.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” 📖 Hebrews 11:1

June 3, 2026 Morning Brew

Join Me for Morning Brew: Devotions + Deliciousness

These devotional reflections come straight from the Morning Brew section of my newsletter—little sips of encouragement paired with practical, everyday faith. If you’ve enjoyed this story, I’d love to send more like it your way, along with fresh plant-based recipes and helpful resources delivered right to your inbox. Consider subscribing so we can continue walking this journey together, one nourishing bite and one uplifting word at a time. Subscribe now!

For more faith-based articles, please visit my Morning Brew Reflections. Feel free to share your thoughts or favorite devotionals in the comments—I’d love to hear how these posts bless your day.