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THE NICEST

Isn’t a fun to receive something from someone at the least expecting moment? It happened to me not once, but twice, this weekend.
It happened on Saturday morning, as I settled into my place to sit at a Confirmation ceremony, held at our Church. After the sweet man beside me helped to position my wheelchair at the end of the row of chairs, I noticed the couple behind me.
I had just met the couple’s 16-year-old daughter the week before, her aunt being a friend of mine. She and her mother told me she was to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation the following weekend, choosing Saint Rita as her patron saint. I replied by saying I would make her a necklace holding a medal of the saint. I saw her beautiful green braces as she smiled to this idea. I asked her if this was one of her favorite colors; it was, with pink being another favorite color. Already, I began an image in my mind what design I would create.
Finishing it on Thursday, I called up her aunt, to say I had it ready. She came by for it, saying her niece would love the tiny, faceted, pastel green and pink Czech glass beads, with the tiniest of sterling silver beads mixed in. The Saint Rita medal was at its center. She planned to present it to her Friday night, the eve of her Confirmation.
I turned to this couple, asking them if she was pleased with the necklace. I first must tell you that the Church is large, holding 1,000 people. To pick the place I had to sit was an amazing coincidence that they were right there behind me. However, as we all know, it really is not a coincidence; it’s God being busy having these little things happen. Their daughter was not with them, as she was being part of the procession into the Church. The mother responded that her daughter loved it, crying that though I had only met her once, for three minutes, I would make the necklace for her. The mom handed me a bouquet of flowers and a thank you card, saying they were from her daughter. It was my turn to cry; I had no idea I would receive such beautiful gifts. I feel blessed to have this teen in my heart!
On Sunday, while in Church for Mass, a woman stopped me as a rolled by her seat. She wanted to visit a few minutes before the ceremony was to begin. I had her daughter as a religious education student for several years, always staying in touch as she and her brother, another student of mine, grew up into lovely teens. Her husband reached over and handed me this beautiful long stemmed rose, fashioned from a material looking like glass. Again, I was taken aback, not anticipating a gift. The woman said they saw the rose and said it immediately made them think of me. I felt blessed again, God surrounding me with wonderful people.
It was the nicest treat, others showing gestures that still have me smiling. They will never know how much they mean to me.

The Window

Today, there was an ad in my e-mail for replacement windows. Granted, I do not like ads to show up in my box, but this time, it made me instantly think of what I see outside my windows. If I look out one direction, I see the street and the not-so-pleasant looking roof of the neighbor’s house across from ours. Another direction, I can catch glimpses of a New Mexico beautiful sunset nearly every evening. Yet, from another direction, I look out upon my own sanctuary, a yard filled with trees just growing new foliage, green grass and several gardens of flowers. There are the bird feeders, delighting me with a large array of two-winged creatures stopping by for a bite to eat or for a splash of water. This particular window view is my favorite, as you can well imagine. I feel quite blessed to have this vista right beyond the glass, as I sit on the couch or am at the kitchen sink.

Though I have been gifted with this awe-inspiring scene, I do tend to daydream of other window views. It is nice to shut my eyes and imagine a vast and magnificent ocean, casting shades of green and blue as the sun sparkles upon it. If I listen hard enough, I can hear the sound of the breaking waves as they reach the shore. The sand is so very soft as it seeps between my toes.

In another whimsical moment, I picture a rushing river flowing by, creating a splendid, splashing, noise as it hits rocks of all sizes in its path. The water feels so very cold as I fantasize, giving me a sense of how fresh and pure it is.

I love to envision a meadow outside my window of daydreams. It is a beautiful meadow, dandelions admired as wild flowers instead of weeds. There is a small stream rippling through the grass, with a deer or two walking gracefully over for a drink. Beyond the meadow are the mountains with stunning peaks, holding many secrets as they silently share their beauty.

No, I do not believe I want my windows replaced. I am quite content with the ones God has given me!

SIGH....

As I sigh, in a moment of tiredness or tenseness, I feel the breath of the Holy Spirit entering my soul. I’m breathing in His love and warmth, exhaling all the negative feelings from within my body.

I am mostly aware of my sighing while I am in the car. Driving in silence, my thoughts turn to prayer. I can feel my body becoming relaxed. A sigh quickly follows. It is a God speaking to me.

All of us must 'inhale' what the Lord is saying to us. He is in every breath we take, no matter where we are, physically, emotionally or spiritually.

There may be a sigh of relief as we feel the contentment of the Holy Spirit. It is a time to smile, as we once again feel God holding onto us, never letting us go.

UNEXPECTED

In the musical performed by my daughter's theater class this weekend, there was a humorous line which has stayed with me. One cast member said it was an 'unexpected' surprise, the other cast member asked if there was really any other kind of surprise. It set all of us laughing. In Stephen King's book “On Writing,” these are the things we need to learn about. If it is a surprise, it is of course unexpected!

There is much in life which is unexpected. There can be an untimely death, an undiagnosed illness, or coming across a friend from long ago, sitting right across you at the cafe. The unexpected can also bring about new friends, within the workplace, at a Church committee meeting, or the sitting across from someone at that same cafe.

We should never turn our head when the unexpected happens. Rather, we should accept it with God's redeeming grace. I remember sitting across from a stranger at cafe, many years ago. She was alone, with a little one, about the same size as our little one, both us having the baby carrier sitting upon the tables We asked her to join us. Exchanging a discourse on what each of us did for a living, it came out that someone at her husband's work, the putting together of a major film, was looking for a private tutor during the works of putting together the film. Phone numbers were exchanged, and within days, I was tutoring two children during the duration of the filming of this film. It was a fun experience, though I kept wishing it would be Robert Redford picking up the children at my door, rather than their nanny.

I had hoped, it would lead to more tutoring, but it did not happen. I had not gone out to assert myself to gather new clients. How would anyone know about me if I didn't let them know I was here, expressing my beliefs in how I, as a teacher could educate their child while they were on set!

It is the same today; how is anyone going to know about the good Lord's Grace and His Spirit, to be shared among others, if we keep silent? We need to live our lives in a way where we are never too distant, now saying what we truly believe in. We must feel the power of Christ as we go out to reach others. We are not to ignore the filthy guy asleep on the sidewalk, the person asking for help with his car, nor the person attending to every day needs. These people can be the ones to turn our lives around, just as Abraham did in the Old Testament, saying there is only one God, and this is the God to be worshiped. God is the one sending others to be part of us, recalling our own rule under Him; to always kneel, washing of the feet of our brethren, not looking at the conditions of our brother or sister.

Just as I had hoped for other movie clientèle to come visit me, we hope others will go find God. In either instance, it does not happen by itself. I needed to bring myself to the film office, to say I was there, ready to serve. In the same way, we need to bring ourselves and others to God, ready to serve Him at all costs. At times, we may feel this is impossible. It is then we must remember the Scripture of Matthew 20:17, where we read our re you God saying, 'I assure you that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can see to this hill, “Go from here to there!” and it will go. DO have the faith. It is what keeps each of us moving!

Reflect upon your love for God. Pray, meditate. Ask Him how you can you do everything, serving Him at all possible times. May you become closer to our dear Lord as you open the shuttered windows, inviting Him in, telling Him you will do all possible to have a better life, blessed with His Grace!

WHAT I WITNESSED TODAY-edited

Here it is, nearly 2:30 AM. Yes, I often have insomnia! I cannot get out of my mind what I witnessed within the last 12 hours. To start, I could not find a parking spot close to the place I had an appointment. I did see a truck in the handicapped place, with a man behind the wheel, no handicapped card in view. I was ready to ask him, in a polite voice, if he needed the place, or if he was waiting for someone. When I called out hello,he turned to my voice;it was someone I knew, who indeed needed the handicapped place. I parked further on. My thought was that even though it was a downhill ride in my wheelchair to my destination, I would have quite a trip on the uphill grade afterwards.

Of course, just as I rolled past the driver in the place across from where I had to visit, and had hoped to park, he drove away. I saw him only text messaging when I had arrived; it looked like he had finished the conversation. I laughed to myself, saying this is how it always went for me.

After my appointment, it was then time to return to my car. I was ready for my uphill journey, knowing I had a challenge in front of me. I smiled, telling God I knew I could do it, my arm muscles had become strong.

Beside where I had parked, I witnessed a woman trying to gather her fifteen plus bags of groceries, trying to figure out a way she could carry them. As I pushed my chair upwards, I saw her try all sorts of ways to carry all of these bags.

My frame of mind changed. I was no longer thinking of how I was going to make it to the car, to how is she planning to carry all of those groceries. There was no way she could do this by herself.

As I got closer, I called out to her, asking if she was attempting to carry all of those groceries by herself; she said yes, she was trying. I admired her, for getting as far as she did, about a block from the grocery. I had no idea where she was going, but I knew she could not do this alone. I said I would drive her to her home.

What a sweet woman she was. She immediately introduced herself to me. To think she did this often, yet I thought a challenge was to make it to the car in an uphill parking lot.

God put my mind in the proper prospective right then and there. If I wanted to know what a challenge was, let me see what was really a hardship. I thank Him for that!

God had one more idea in store. In my trunk, I had a box of clothes I had washed and folded, to deliver to Goodwill. As this sweet woman was taking the last of her groceries from my trunk to her front door, I told her she could take this box if she wished. She did take it, telling me "God Bless You!" as she walked away.

I called out "And may God Bless You!" as she left me. I was the one who was truly blessed. God was showing me that though I have challenges, others have ones that are somewhat tougher than mine. I thank our dear Lord for this message. This one woman has blessed me more than she will ever know.

A LOSS IN OUR DAILY LIVES

Somehow, through the years, the giving of respect and dignity for one another has dissipated. There was courtesy shared between all. Now, it seems it is only given to those within our own cast of people. A group of adults who have their children in a private school would not associate with those who receive a public education and vice versa. Criticisms are stated if one is not within a social group. Even the simple ‘hello’ shouted out to one another on the street has disappeared, keeping eyes straight ahead, as one passes by.
We have all heard about the woman collapsing in the emergency room, with no one going over to assist her, passing away right there. No one bothered to tend to her even then. Everyone seems to be lost in his or her own little worlds.
Now, not everyone is like this, but is happening more often. When I was in college, people popped by to meet one another at the table in the dining hall or calling out a greeting as all were rushing to classes. In the classroom itself, there were more friendly greetings. Within minutes, names were exchanged and new friendships formed. My daughter, in her third year of school, said this does not happen anymore. At the beginning of her freshman year, she was assigned to a suite of four bedrooms, with a common kitchen and living space. I imagined all kinds of fun going on through the school year, as they shared stories over popcorn and hot chocolate. Instead, no one would speak to one another! My daughter tried, but they were not interested. One night, at the end of school, she called excitedly, to say one of them asked her to join her and her friends for a movie and popcorn. To think it took nine months for this to happen! A friend told me a similar story of her own daughter, at another university. Tears have been shed, saying no one wants to get together to ‘hang out, all wanting to stay with friends previously known. Her daughter is a precious young woman; I would be running up to say hi, eager to have her as a friend.
The homeless are also ignored. I told my teens the story of a homeless man leaning against the wall near the entrance of our Church. He was seated, his back against the wall, on this cold evening. His head was down, as if he was asleep. He had on a dirty hat, filthy pants and hands, an orange and a dollar bill near his feet. My children were quite young, gasping to see him, eyes having a look of fear in them. I quietly told them not to stare and to say a prayer for a safety as we hurried by. During the priest’s homily that evening, this man began to walk down the aisle, using a tree branch for a walking stick. You could hear the shuffle of everyone in their seats and little gasps of surprise, as he continued to walk down the aisle, head down. Not one of us reached out to help him. He stopped in front of the priest.
Father told us this man was actually not homeless, that it was an experiment to see how the congregation would respond to him. He asked how many of us had seen him, with all hands going up in the air. He then asked how many stopped to see if he was okay. Now, the hands went down. Father said only one person had stopped, to give him his coat, taking it off his own warm body to place over him. All of us felt rightfully ashamed. How could we treat another of God’s creatures as we did? Father asked the owner of the coat to come retrieve it; a 15-year-old young man walked down the aisle! Think that a teenager did respect him with dignity, but the rest of us hurriedly walked by! Yes, I told my children not to stare and to say a prayer, but I did not open my purse to hand over a few bills!
I asked my current group of teens if they see a certain homeless man walking the streets of our town. One of them asked if I was describing the man who wore a dirty coat. I affirmed that was the one. He said all the kids call him “Smilin’ Joe,” as he was always smiling as he walked. I thought that was a great name, but his real name is George. My husband saw him standing outside the store one day, asking him if he could buy him a cup of coffee. He readily accepted. As he spoke, my husband said what a beautiful, deep voice he had. At one time, he had a terrific job with a great salary, but those days are now gone. He chose to walk everywhere and anywhere each day, no mission in mind. He was not an evil character, an alcoholic, or involved in drugs. He survived by people handing him a dollar for a burrito, sandwiches given to him or enjoying that cup of coffee. If my husband had not stopped to share a moment with him, we would have never known this special someone, practicing a life of endurance, character and hope, just as God would have each of us experience. He was more of an example of living in the image of God than many of us. We need to adopt that smile he gives everyone, not carrying a bad thought in his mind. This is what dignity is actually about.
Of course, I did have a friend who walked over to someone in a restaurant who looked homeless, handing him a cup of coffee. The man was puzzled why she would do such a thing. She responded to not worry about it, just enjoy the coffee. She continued to watch the man from her table. Soon, a cashier came over with several sacks of food, saying his phone order was ready! The man asked why that woman gave him the coffee; he was not even sure if he should drink it, unsure of its contents. The cashier smiled to say the coffee was okay, a nice customer wanted to help someone out! As she told the story to several of us, we could not stop laughing. We said maybe that he wanted to dress up a little more before he went to pick up ‘carry out!’ However, she did reach out, again not caring about one’s background!
God created each of us in His image. We carry His Spirit within our hearts; people have forgotten this. We are blessed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, those of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control. Yet, we do not always practice the gentleness of God as we go through our days. Our minds tend to overflow with matters in our own lives, rather than realizing everyone needs to have that human touch. It does not matter whether one is rich or poor, dirty or clean, ill or well, of one ethnicity and not another, a busybody or a quiet person. What matters is how God wants us to be in our daily lives, to do for others what you want them to do for you, God’s Golden Rule.
It is hard to get rid of old habits, but pray to God to help us make needed changes, giving everyone to have a life filled with dignity, kindness, love and respect.

BUSY, BUSY

I have not been keeping up with my writing. This is not good, as it indicates I am not growing spiritually. God has not been able to fill me with His words because I have not taken the time to listen to Him. I have put other things first. Reflecting on what I have been doing, other than my normal routine, leaves my mind blank. It indicates I have put trivial things before praying with God, so trivial I do not even remember what they were.
It is quite easy to get too involved with the mundane executions of daily life. Sleeping an extra hour, reading the two newspapers and solving the daily puzzles as I sip my tea, tending to the dogs and picking up the house are only a few activities on how I fill my day.I am embarrassed to say how long I may stay on the computer, or trying to fix a problem this laptop gives me. One daughter wants me only to text message her from my cell, wasting another bit of time. Why do I give in? Because no matter how much I try to call instead, she will not pick up the phone. I toss it back and forth, asking myself, which will take the least amount of time, to text or to keep trying to call her. Since this is her only bit of rebellion as a teenager, I go along.
Back to what I was saying, on not having my time with God. I do talk about God a lot, conducting classes five days a week, sometimes twice a day. I make my lesson plans, being well prepared. However, this still is not giving me the special time God and I need together, just the two of us. I have managed to put Him on the back burner. Prayer time while I do my routine at the pool has been eliminated. This is hurting God in two ways; I am not having my talk time with Him and I am not taking care of the body He has given me. I preach to others about obeying the Two Great Commandments of loving God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind, and loving my neighbor as myself. He has blessed me with a beautiful spirit, intertwined with His, yet I am not nourishing it, tending to it so I may continue to grow in my love for Him. I have managed to place many obstacles in the path, preventing His love and kindness to prosper within my soul.
I must return to practicing the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, those of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control. It is okay to quit rushing to meet my self-made expectations. Maybe I will be able to cross everything off on my list of things to do, but what good is it if I have made no time for God? He is part of me in everything I do, yet I do not pause to praise Him and His mighty works. A dark void will overpower me if I continue to live my life this way. Maybe this has already happened to people I pass on the street, why they are not smiling and their eyes are sad.
Prayer needs to be my focal point,forgetting about those things on my list that I want to check off. Instead, 'pray' should be written at the top, middle and end of my list! Recently, I came across a “Three Minute Prayer,” by Father Lukefahr. In the first minute,he says to think about a wonderful blessing you have received in the past 24 hours. Thank God for this blessing. In the second minute, think about a significant failing you had in the past 24 hours. Ask Jesus to forgive you. In the third minute, think about a challenge you are to meet in the next 24 hours, praying to the Holy Spirit to help and guide you as you accept the challenge. As for my challenge,I ask the Holy Spirit to help me erase the obstacles I have placed on the path to prayer. Let Him guide me, as I pray to Jesus for forgiveness, not making God my priority. May I put one foot in front of the other, taking small steps, allowing me to feel His presence as I open up the door to let Him in.

FLUSTERY DAY

While Winnie the Pooh talks of a blustery day, it occurred to me that what I had yesterday was a ‘flustery’ day. In my mind, I had my day planned out, which included getting ready for my afternoon class at my church. I would create a guide sheet as part of my lesson, to go along with the video we would watch. My plan was to print up my guide sheet, get everything together for my class, then go over to the nearby pool for a swim before I left for the church. This would give me time to pray, which I do as I swim, leaving me in a very calm and relaxing mood.
My computer and printer had other ideas. A little box came onto my computer screen to tell me there was ‘incompatibility’ with the printer. No, this could not be happening! I needed this guide sheet in order for me to facilitate my class! An hour and a half went by, with me continuing to make my printer and computer friends once again. I became a bit ‘stressed,’ knowing I needed this guideline for my class, with the time now creeping up upon me. Desperate, I called my husband at work, who nicely said he would come home to help me. He never did get my computer and the printer to like one another, but he was able to take my material, transfer it to his computer, and get it printed for me. Now, there were only minutes to spare before I had to rush out the door. Being late are two words not in my vocabulary.
So much for my planned schedule. There was no time for that swim or my prayer time. I put on spiritual music in the car, to get me calmed down. I was flustered, but did not want to be so by the time I got to the church. I settled into the room my group meets, only to find out I left my workbook of notes at home. I could see in my mind exactly where it was, right beside my laptop. I was able to make do, talking to the group for part of the session, saying it was then time to put on the video. I told them how fast the people talked in the video, making it hard to take in all they were telling us; thus, the guide sheet they could easily follow as they listened. At this point, I let out an, “Oh, no! The video is still sitting in my machine at home!” The group had to start laughing, as they know how I am usually too organized, to the point of being obsessive compulsive. It is in my nature to make sure everything runs perfectly.
I said I would conduct the class from the guide sheet, elaborating on each point. As I did so, it brought out unexpected dialogues among the group, ones that would not have been expressed had there been the video. Words said were vital, emotional and quite moving. I actually saw it was good I forgot that tape. Feelings of others would have remained trapped inside of them if there had not been the opportunity to speak. It is much easier to speak out in conversation than interrupting what is occurring on the screen.
A nun once told me there is no such thing as coincidences. This was a perfect example of God being there, taking a part in all of this. He seemed to know that though I was out of my comfort zone, it provided moments for others to step in, sharing beautiful, spiritual, moments with one another. My ‘flusterly’ day ended up being a good one. However, I do hope my printer and laptop will reunite, liking one another forevermore.

UNEXPECTED LAUGHTER

As I have mentioned before, it is fun to laugh, as it is good it can be for the spirit and soul. A story of the past came forward yesterday, as we had egg salad sandwiches for our Easter picnic. We had plenty of hard-boiled eggs, decorating them the day before. I recalled the time of one our teens was baking in the kitchen, while my husband and I sat in the next room. Another sibling went out to the kitchen, noticing eggshells among the batter in the mixing bowl. Puzzled, it was asked why there was egg shells mixed in. The answer, stated seriously, was that the recipe asked for egg whites! My husband and I could barely contain ourselves as we heard the answer. Our child told the sibling what egg whites meant. Bursts of laughter erupted from the kitchen. We then knew we could let out our stifled laughter. I still laugh every time I recall the story.
Another memory takes me to the time one of our children, about age six, told me about kneeling down beside the bed each night before crawling into bed. I thought that was wonderful, asking what was said while kneeling there. The response was, “The Pledge of Allegiance.” I had to turn my head, as if I had noticed something across the room, so my grin would not be seen.
I have my own story or two of a simple situation becoming one of hysterical laughter. I had just started working as a legal secretary for the State Attorney General’s Office. There was an office luncheon held at a fancy restaurant my first week of work, to recognize accomplishments of certain employees. As I sat in my chair, I rested my feet on the horizontal bar between the two front legs. I have no idea how I did it, but somehow, my feet, inside knee-high boots, slipped behind that front bar. I could not get them out! The woman on the right side of me asked what the matter was, as she saw me wiggling as I sat. I quietly told her what I had done. Bending down, she tried to pull them out, but could not. The lady on the left side of me noticed something going on, and joined in with the other gal to help release my feet. I sat there, completely helpless. Soon, others asked what was going on. Of course, the laughter had started, as more found out about the new employee on board, the restaurant full of our staff. Finally, two assistant attorney generals, wearing their three-piece suits, had to crawl under the table on their backs, working quite some time to get my feet free once again. Forget about all those awards of recognition. I took the cake. Nothing like the most recent staff member putting on a comedy show! We all returned to work that afternoon, about 60 of us. Lawyers continued to come into my office the rest of the afternoon, unable to work, as they were still laughing, picturing me stuck in the chair.
God has blessed me with a wonderful sense of humor, one where I can share a laugh as easily as laughing at myself. Life is serious enough already. God puts in this little nuances in life to serve as a reminder that it is okay to let go and enjoy the life He has provided us.

THE SHACK

I just finished reading the novel, The Shack, by Wm. Paul Young. It is a spiritual book, one I will be recommending to many. The story starts with one family’s sadness. Because of it, there is a learning how God is with us at all times, not against us, when something terrible happens. The father in the story is in anger, which anyone of us would be, if we experienced a similar tragedy. Taking on human images, God, His Son and the Holy Spirit go through the process of talking to the father, all taking place at a mountain shack, close to the place where the sadness began.

This is a beautifully written book. I read it in two days, not wanting to stop. One feels as if God is actually speaking.  In a way He is, using the author to have His words expressed. It makes sense in all that is said, in this 248 page book. I was surprised to see it had this many pages when I put the book down, as it seemed less than 100, with one page flowing to the next. I sound as if I am writing a review for the author. It is more I am writing a review of how wonderful God is, even in times of terror and agony. It helps me understand what those who have passed away unexpectedly are saying to us, and gives the reason for forgiveness so one may continue a wondrous life with God.  It is written in ‘down to earth’ terminology  on what we are to do and how it can help those left behind.

I just finished it, but I would not mind picking it up and reading it again, right at this very moment.  There are endless words of wisdom told to the father of the story, ones we can easily and readily apply in our own lives.

It is a book apropos to this very day, Good Friday. Here is an innocent person, Jesus Christ, going through agony, ridicule, betrayal, torture and death. Jesus prays for forgiveness of those who tormented Him.  We wonder how He could do this. Yet, it is explained with such tenderness, love and beauty in this book. It makes me love Christ more than I already do. For those who know me, you are aware how much I love our God. What a huge impact this simple book can leave on the soul.

As I read the book, I could feel my cheeks begin to feel a bit sensitive; it was because I was smiling all the while because of the words written.  I feel myself still smiling at this very moment! You will think of those you love, having much more acceptance of all of God’s children, no matter where they are in their lives, whether good or evil.

The Shack has a website, http://www.theshack.com, where you can read a few excerpts from the book. This is a different kind of blog I have written today.  But, oh, what a difference this read can make in your life.  You will not forget it. You will look at life, nature and everything in between in a whole new way.

God Bless all of you, as we feel the passion of Christ today, praising his love, acceptance and forgiveness for all.  We thank our Lord for His abundance of caring, ever-so bountiful kindness and gentleness. We proclaim our love for Him, as He fulfills our spirit and souls with his Spirit, making us face whatever is given to us, no matter how hard it is. We understand that being divine, He is with us wherever we are. We cannot shield ourselves from Him.  He will find us, because of His love for us, never wanting us to face anything alone. We are part of His grace. How joyous it is!

HAPPINESS-with typos corrected!

Happiness is having God in our hearts.
Happiness is feeling God's happiness in our hearts.

Happiness is finding the soul-mate God planned for us.
Happiness is making a life-long commitment with this soul-mate.

Happiness is having soul-mates create an extension of themselves.
Happiness is watching these little beings develop their own gifts from God.

Happiness is having a toddler, not talking yet, taking my hand, to show me a ladybug.
Happiness is that though this tiny child cannot talk yet, can speak volumes within the silence.

Happiness is seeing the glistening dew as the sun rises.
Happiness is looking at the oranges and yellows cast upon the land as the sun sets.

Happiness is running into an old friend.
Happiness is having long conversations with this old friend, reminiscing about the past,
While also talking about what has happened since then.

Happiness is making a new friend.
Happiness is laughing, talking, and crying, with the new friend.

Happiness is stepping outside to get the morning newspaper, hearing the singing of birds,
After a long, long winter.
Happiness is watching the birds come to bird feeders, arriving in-mass,
To enjoy a meal.

Happiness is having a beautiful garden, filled with flowers of every kind and color.
Happiness is knowing my spouse will be the one to pull the weeds in the garden,
along with tending to every care and need.

Happiness is having my first words uttered each morning be,
“Good morning, God!”
Happiness is having my last words uttered each night be,
 “Good night, God!  Thank you for another day!”

Happiness is listening to the music I love.
Happiness is feeling how the music reaches deep into my soul.

Happiness is seeing my child smiling on stage,
Performing in front of an audience.
Happiness is having the emotions flow
As I watch my child.

Happiness is seeing the silhouettes of distant mountains,
Admiring in awe their massiveness.
Happiness is reaching the base of the mountains,
Feeling the earth under my feet.

Happiness is hearing the crickets chirp,
A sound of summer.
Happiness is that hearing how many chirps there are in 30 seconds, and adding 15 to it,
I will know what the temperature is at that moment.

Happiness is loving the beautiful shade trees of summer.
Happiness is sitting under those trees, having a delicious picnic.

Happiness is reading a good book.
Happiness is remembering what made the book special many years later.

Happiness is lending out a good book to a friend.
Happiness is hearing the friend share the same excitement as I had while reading it.

Happiness is being with the grandparents.
Happiness is listening to their stories of their younger years.

Happiness is a blue, blue sky.
Happiness is admiring the majestic clouds,
Sitting magnificently in the sky.

Happiness is having a good work-out.
Happiness is being glad when the work-out time is over.

Happiness is winning a competition.
Happiness is seeing how all those practices paid off.

Happiness is viewing the vast ocean and the beauty of it,
Casting off rays of greens and blues.
Happiness is sitting on the soft beach sand,
Hearing the waves splash, the cold water reaching my feet as I daydream.

Happiness is having a delightful conversation with God.
Happiness is hearing what God has to say to me during our dialogue.

Happiness is knowing God never leaves me alone,
Happiness is knowing God always helps me carry my burdens.

Happiness is being given a challenge to stretch my mind, body and soul.
Happiness is accomplishing the challenges I was given,
Recognizing God had a hand in it.

Happiness is playing a board game with family.
Happiness is enjoying the laughter and conversation
As the game is played, bringing everyone close together.

Happiness is seeing the golden leaves of fall.
Happiness is hearing the giggle of children,
As they are covered with fallen leaves.

Happiness is noticing a flowing mountain river.
Happiness is sitting on a rock in the middle of the river,
Writing a letter to a loved one.

Happiness is watching the snow fall.
Happiness is loving the wintry scene only God could give us.

Happiness is knowing all that makes me happy are gifts from God.
Happiness is praising God, thanking Him for the wonderful life He provides for all.