By Leigh Currey Merrifield
Has anyone ever asked you if you’re happy, and what is it that makes you happy? I guess we could just blurt out a quick answer, but the question really deserves to be pondered. Look around you and look within yourself and then decide what really matters most to you. What are you grateful for; what makes you smile; what joys will you always remember? If you really give the question some deep thought, many people will come up with more than just a one-word answer. And no matter who you ask, the answer/s will likely be different because not everyone will rate the same things as important and fulfilling.
Some may say that taking a fabulous resort vacation makes them happy; others may say that they were happy to have received an award for some stellar achievement; and someone else may be over the moon to have gotten a job promotion with better pay and benefits. While any of those responses would be pleasurable or make you proud, they wouldn’t necessarily bring what I call ‘lasting joy’. I took the test; I asked myself the question and gave it some profound thought, and my answers were all things I am SO MOST GRATEFUL for.
*I am pretty healthy;
*I have people who love me;
*I have supportive, long-time friends;
*I had wonderful, devoted parents whose example was to always speak kind words to others;
*I have faith in God who directs me and a church family whose company I enjoy;
*I feel too blessed not to be happy … and these are all “lasting joys”!
I guess I am just a sentimental sap who has stored a lot of cherished memories that often still make me tear up. They are not possessions nor medals, but simple “gifts” of love … like the time my son said “I always know I can turn to you for good advice, Mom” … or the time my daughter-in-law said, “I wish you were my next door neighbor” … or the time my granddaughter texted me saying, “I’m going to bed now but I just needed to tell you how much I love and miss you” … or the time my stepgrandson felt comfortable calling me his Nana … or hearing someone special say “One of the things I love most about you is that you selflessly care so deeply for others”. Just simple (yet unforgettable) words that mean so much. My life is SO blessed and I am SO grateful … what more could I need … how could I not be happy!
Quote of the week: “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” – A. A. Milne