Joy Phenix's Blog

“If you’re going to learn how to draw Bugs (Bunny), learn how to draw a carrot, then you can hook a rabbit onto it.” – Chuck Jones Have you ever noticed how experts in a field not only excel in their craft, but they can make the complex simple? I came across the video below [...]

Have you ever had anyone help you with your marriage? When Billy and I were first married (almost 15 years ago!), we joined a small group who gave us practical tips on how to go beyond surviving and actually thrive in our newlywed season.  Among other things, we learned about Date Nights and why you [...]

I play a little game with the kids during meal time.  When I give them their plates full of food, I wait about 30 seconds for them to say “thank you.”  If that doesn’t happen, I start saying a string of compliments that sound like this… Wow Mom!  What a great breakfast! Great flip! This [...]

Do you ever walk through the day and feel burdened by the brokenness of the world? To be candid, I find that much of the time I default to thinking about the brokenness of MY world only: the flat tire, the computer glitch, the traffic signal that keeps me waiting a full five minutes leaving [...]

UPDATED WITH VIDEO AT THE END OF THE POST. This weekend we discovered that our one-year-old puppy, Mack, has decided that he’s not only a swimmer, but he’s a dock jumper.  He runs from the shore to the edge of the dock and jumps in before we even toss a stick.  He leaps first and [...]

Last week, I wrote about the important discipline of  Teaching What You’ve Been Taught.  The benefit in practicing this behavior is to both reinforce what you’ve learned, and also leave a legacy for the people who follow. When you teach others, you’re building bridges.  I think the poem below expresses the thought beautifully. THE BRIDGE [...]

“The impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.” – Annie Dillard For nine months, roughly corresponding to the school year, I mentor a group a women who [...]

I recently had lunch with a former colleague who is getting beat up at work. Through a series of twists and turns, she has ended up reporting to someone who fits the “Micro-manager” definition to a tee.  You know those types of people, right?  Perhaps they pride themselves on their perfectionism or on making OTHERS [...]

Have you ever heard this saying? “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” This ancient Proverb is one that I find more than a little challenging. I don’t know about you, but I’m not good at overlooking offenses.  I’ve never been a terribly patient person, and I [...]

It seems like my husband is always buying umbrellas. On the surface, the habit feels random. Recently we were buying weekly groceries and he walked up to the checkout, plopped two golf umbrellas down on the belt, and said, “add these,” just like it was a gallon of milk. Umbrellas. Still, I know my husband [...]