Friday Five: Surprised by Joy

Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No."He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. (John 21:5-7)

Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:5b)

From Songbird over at RevGalBlogPals:
This week I've been watching parents of the young people slain at Virginia Tech trying to make meaning out of the lives of their lost children, and each one seems to begin by focusing on something joyful about that child. It's a gift that most humans have brains wired to respond in that way. For some of us it can be harder to work our way out of dark places, but I believe joy remains the key. It is the spirit of resurrection.
Tell us about five people, places, or things that have brought surprising, healing joy into your life.

It's another tandem play this week from The Typist and The Best Dog Ever:

Typist: Gotta say The Alpha right off the bat! He stuck with me through four years of dating while at separate colleges, and freshman year was definitely no picnic. He still brings joy every day.
Cub: I agree. He's lots of fun and knows how to wrassle like a dog.

T: Music, of course. Some Wednesday nights when I head to church, I'm already completely drained. But when I get home at bedtime after back-to-back rehearsals, I just can't calm down and go to sleep right away because the music lingers within me.
C: The Boy. Yes, it's surprising, because I didn't want him to stay when he first showed up, and he can still sometimes be a nuisance, but he keeps me playful.

T: Both dogs! They are gifts from God. Cub came into my life at an especially rough time, and raising her from a pup was exactly what I needed to do that summer.
C: Aw, thanks... You give me joy, too, because even though you make me go to the vet a whole lot, you do take really good care of me. Sometimes you think I've forgotten the whole being abandoned thing, but I haven't. I know I've got a great thing going here!

T: BlogPals. I know some of them in person, and knew some of them before blogging. But there are also those I've never actually met that have blossomed into very real friendships all the same. Case in point: Zorra has provided great support via email as we've dealt with some of Cub's recent mystery maladies.
C: Hip surgery. It was really, really horrible and I was really, really angry afterwards. But then after a few weeks, I realized I could roll over on my back again without it hurting! It brought me a lot of joy that day, and still does.

T: Our amazing and wonderful niece M, who was recently accepted to her first-choice graduate school. I love that she's become more like a sister to me as we've both grown up (I was nine when she was born - yes, I'm the baby of my family, closer in age to much of the next generation than to my own siblings).
C: People coming over. Jessica came last night, and that was fun! Who's next?