Joi Counseling Center

08/10/2025

08/08/2025

We might be able to get through a particular task with white-knuckled will, but that's not a sustainable strategy. Real self-control is about setting things up so we're more likely to follow through, no gritted teeth required.

08/01/2025

I’ve lived through more pain and loss than I ever thought one heart could carry.
There are days I still feel every crack, every scar, every ache of what I’ve lost.

But here’s the thing—
I’ve learned to let the pain carve me open, not close me off.

I’ve learned that even on the heaviest days, I can choose to show up with light. Not because life has been easy or fair, but because I refuse to let my story end in darkness.

This doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s a practice.
A conscious choice to look for the sun when the clouds roll in.
A daily decision to find beauty in the mess, to keep moving, to stay open, even when it would be easier to shut down.

If you’re walking through something hard, please hear me—
You don’t have to be perfectly positive. You don’t have to have it all together. You just have to keep practicing.

Practice noticing the good.
Practice finding your strength.
Practice choosing love over fear, even when it feels impossible.

Sunshine isn’t something you’re born with—
It’s something you build, one day, one breath, one brave choice at a time.

Michelle ☀️❤️

08/01/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1CNZSaU7Hn/?mibextid=wwXIfr

08/01/2025

Your thoughts are the architects of your inner peace;
Choose them wisely,
For they build the life you live.

Every idea you entertain,
Every belief you hold,
Silently lays the foundation
Of your emotional landscape.

When your mind is filled with
Compassion,
Hope,
And gratitude,
You construct a life grounded
In contentment and resilience.

But when you dwell in
Fear,
Resentment,
Or negativity,
You unknowingly build barriers to joy.

Thoughts may seem
Small and fleeting,
But they are powerful forces,
Shaping how we perceive the world,
How we treat ourselves and others,
And ultimately,
How peacefully we move through life.

You cannot always control
What happens around you,
But you can choose
The thoughts you plant within you,
And with them,
Create a life
Of quiet strength
And lasting peace.

~ 'Architects Of Peace' by Spirit of a Hippie

✍️ Mary Anne Byrne

~ Art by Maruga Koops

08/01/2025

Art | John William Waterhouse