Finding Your Smile Again: Little Joys After Divorce

When Joy Feels Like a Stranger

After the heartbreak, everything felt... muted.
Music didn’t hit the same. Laughter felt foreign. Even sunlight felt disrespectful some days.

I thought joy had packed its bags and left me for good.

But then—one day—I laughed.
Not a forced smile. Not a polite chuckle.
A real, belly-shaking, eyes-squinting laugh… while I was hanging out with a couple of my closest girls.

And that moment? That was God showing me joy was still possible.

What Joy Looks Like After Loss

Joy doesn’t always come in fireworks.
Sometimes, it looks like:

• That first morning you wake without feeling empty

• Dancing in your kitchen to a 90s gospel hit

• A text from someone who just gets it

• My smile when looking at the fish in my fishbowl

• Driving through a canopy of trees, quiet and content
  
  

Joy doesn’t erase pain—it coexists with it.
You can still grieve and giggle. Cry and sing.
God never asked us to fake it. But He did promise joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

My Joy List (And How It Changed Me)

In one of my lowest moments, I made a list:
“Things that still bring me joy.”

It had things like:

• Staring at the sunset

• Not so Gospel playlists

• Listening to the kids’ silly giggles

• Going through old pics of fun times with the girls

• A good cup of my mom’s tea 😄
  
  

And every day, I chose just one.
That became my therapy.

💼 Want Help Finding Joy Again?

If you’re ready to start moving from sadness to wholeness—but need a little help getting there—I’d love to invite you into my coaching program Starting Over.

We’ll walk through:

• Grief and forgiveness

• Identity and confidence

• AND joy—yes, even laughter again
  
  

It’s designed to meet you where you are, not where someone else thinks you should be.

🛒 Learn more about Starting Over »

💛 A Challenge for You This Week

Make your own Joy List.

Start with 5 simple things that bring light to your heart.
Then commit to doing just one this week.

Let yourself feel it. Let joy in.
Even if it’s just for a minute.

Because healing isn’t just about what you let go of.
It’s also about what you’re brave enough to reach for again.

And joy?
It’s waiting for you. 🎉💛