“Song of Joy”
Words and music by Marianne Fridell
with Ms. Kursave’s 4th Grade Class
©2026 Marianne Fridell
Playing with my sisters, we had a lot of fun
Even when there was a heap of work to be done.
Girls helping mother, brother helping dad outside.
Then the ‘49 blizzard and trouble collide.
Our Hulett house under snow up to the sky.
Inside we made our rooms with blankets hanging high.
Six sisters in one room, sleeping side by side.
Brother in his own room, where he could hide.
Chores in the garden and the kitchen everyday
Paper doll families for dramatic play.
Red, yellow, brown dirt–and alfalfa flowers.
Our bakery of mud pies-not to be devoured.
A high trapeze on our swings–we were flying
We put a mane on our dog and tamed him like a lion.
Devil’s Tower loomed like a big top over there.
We weren’t afraid of anything. We walked everywhere.
As I was washing windows. Scrubbing at the dirty specks
I saw something out the window that I didn’t expect.
That day was the day that I realized
The world was waiting for me to just–open up my eyes!
You’ve got to look past those spots on the window.
Look out at the flowers blooming for you.
See those grassy fields blowing in the wind.
Look past the foothills, and the mountains come in view.
Yes, the mountains come in view.
I love teaching kids to love to read.
We had too much fun, you might agree.
We asked probing questions every day.
What if Goldilocks ate porridge with the bears,
and didn’t run away?
We had goat heads poking outside our classroom.
We dug them out, planted flowers to bloom
You know what? Goat heads aren’t your buddies
They make cockleburs look soft and cuddly
You’ve got to dig up those goat heads in the garden.
Look out at the flowers blooming for you.
See those grassy fields blowing in the wind.
Look past the foothills, and the mountains come in view.
Yes, the mountains come in view.
Lots of times in life, things don’t go as planned.
Just turn around. Do something different. Do what you can.
Keep on going and you’ll find a new way through.
And it can turn out better. I know this is true.
You’ve got to look past those spots on the window.
Look out at the flowers blooming for you.
See those grassy fields blowing in the wind.
Look past the foothills, and the mountains come in view.
Way over there!
Yes, the mountains come in view.
A Life of Joy
Joy Neugebauer was born in Hewlett, Wyoming, on December 6. It was quickly discovered that the name Joy suited her perfectly as she entered the 4th-grade classroom with her bright smile, kindness, and joy. She spoke about her faith, her childhood, and her family. Through many stories, Joy shared a lot of advice and wisdom with the 4th-grade class.
In 1949, her father began building a house in Hewlett for her family to move into. Her family moved shortly after a blizzard occurred. After the house was built, they began settling in and making memories. Joy made many memories, but some of her favorites included playing with her sister. They made paper dolls out of magazines, flipping through the pages to find outfits for their dolls. Another favorite memory was playing circus with the neighborhood kids. The parents would stop what they were doing to watch the circus performance unfold. They even had a lion starring in the show—unfortunately, they did not have a real lion, so the dog became the star.
When she was old enough, her first job was delivering newspapers with her sister. They went to the post office to pick up their papers. Customers paid 10 cents for a paper. They kept records of who made a purchase so they could send 6 cents back to The Grit newspaper. Joy and her sister were able to keep 4 cents for themselves. They split their earnings and stored the money in a sock. With their money saved in a sock, they headed to Belle Fourche to buy Christmas presents for their family. Unfortunately, they learned a tough lesson. When they reached the cash register with all of their gifts, they quickly realized the sock was nowhere to be found. They had to put some gifts back. The hard lesson they learned was to be more careful when taking care of money.
Joy enjoyed teaching in Hermosa for 15 years and made many special memories with her students. One memory took place right outside her classroom door, where goathead weeds covered both sides of the sidewalk. The kindergarten class decided to dig up the goathead weeds, plant beautiful flowers, and place a large rock nearby. They loved the flowers so much that whenever a student accidentally stepped on one, they would all shed a tear together. Joy also loved reading, asking “what if” questions, and having students act out stories.
When asked what she is most thankful for, Joy said, “My faith, husband, kids, and grandkids.” One of the things she loves most is spending time with her family. Her dream vacation would be right here in the Black Hills—staying in a cabin and boating on the lake. Most importantly, it would be spent with her family. To make it a true dream vacation, everyone else would bring the food so she would not have to cook a single thing.
Our final question was, “What does a good life mean to you?” Joy answered, “To look past the dirty spots on the window to see the beauty in life.” She explained that it is foolish to focus on the dirty spots. Instead, you should look past them to see the beauty beyond. Just past the spots, there are flowers blooming. Farther away, there is a field waving in the wind, and beyond that, hills in the distance.
Her advice was simple: “You just need to look past the spots.” She encouraged the 4th-grade students to dig a little deeper and reminded them that this idea also applies to people. You can always find something to criticize, but you can also choose to look at a person and see the good in them.