mom, what makes you happy?

I was immersed in kitchen work, with a group of six college kids eating breakfast at our kitchen table, visitors from A&M and friends of Donny from high school, when my third son, Kevin asked me this question: “Mom what makes you happy?”

I stopped and looked at him and said, “that’s a really big question I might need to ponder it a while.” He said, ok, let me ask you this, “does travleing around the world make you happy?” (duh, of course.)

I launched into a self discourse explaining, it’s not the traveling, it’s the interacting with the nature of people in different cultures that I enjoy, and it’s the same feeling I get when I am helping children-mine or others, working with animals, going mind to mind with my husband, and gardening with my flowers. I looked at Kevin and said, “nature makes me happy because I am participating with what God has created for me to discover”.

Happy is different than joy. Joy is what I have because I know no matter what happens in my life I am not lost or alone becuase I have the presence and love of God with me throught it all. I have joy. Happy is a circumstantial and personal disposition. It’s ok for a Christian to be happy, but it’s not a guarantee. I know plenty of grumpy Christians. But I am one of the happy people. I’m happy Kevin asked me this question, and even happier that he wanted to know my answer. He’s a sweetheart. He will even kiss me in public, and he always opens the car door and holds it for me. Now that makes me happy and fits neatly into my category of helping kids.

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