<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cheerful of heart has a continual feast\u201d (The Book of Proverbs).<\/p>\n
UNLIKE JOY (WHICH IS A VIRTUE AND CAN BE CONSTANT), HAPPINESS IS A MORE OCCASIONAL VISITOR. Life in this world can be difficult and painful, but it can also be pleasant \u2014 and we love the happy days, whether they are many or few. \u201cHappiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length\u201d (Robert Frost).<\/p>\n
(1) We shouldn\u2019t try to force happiness.<\/em> I chuckle when I recall Willard R. Espy\u2019s quip, \u201cIf only we\u2019d stop trying to be happy, we could have a pretty good time.\u201d Happiness can\u2019t be manufactured directly; it\u2019s a byproduct. So we should give up the popular \u201cpursuit of happiness\u201d and get busy doing other things. \u201cHappiness often sneaks in through a door you didn\u2019t know you left open\u201d (John Barrymore).<\/p>\n The genuinely happy are honest about the real world. They don\u2019t play mental tricks and try to convince themselves they are happy when they are not. As realists, they don\u2019t demand unbroken happiness in a broken world. They can live without happiness if they have to.<\/p>\n (2) We should not neglect the \u201clittle\u201d happinesses.<\/em> Many of the most delightful things in this world are ordinary and easily overlooked. We would be happier if we were more observant, and if we took the time to relish the simple pleasures. Benjamin Franklin was right: \u201cHuman felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen as by little advantages that occur every day.\u201d<\/p>\n (3) We should be grateful for happiness.<\/em> When happiness comes calling, it should be treated as an honored guest. Sara Teasdale had the right perspective in her well-known motto, \u201cI make the most of all that comes, and the least of all that goes.\u201d We should relish the good times appreciatively, maximizing their enjoyment \u2014 and then relinquish them with the right attitude. \u201cHappiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is\u201d (Maxim Gorky). May we never say goodbye to any happiness without having enjoyed it gratefully.<\/p>\n But finally, may we never be selfish. Since we never have any happiness except by God\u2019s grace, we must look for ways to pass it along. May we relate to everybody around us as happily as we can. <\/p>\n \u201cHappiness held is the seed \u2014 happiness shared is the flower\u201d (Anonymous).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n