Tag Archives: faith

happiness

Give a hug

Today as I was driving into the parkade at the hospital I witnessed a remarkable moment of tenderness. A couple about my age was walking outside when the woman stopped and started crying. The man with her pulled her in and gave her a huge hug and held her while she sobbed. It was a very powerful moment to witness. She was obviously so hurt and he just stepped in and held her and held space for her while she let it out.

I had a meeting after that with a woman who was brought on the wings of love into our life and who will be able to provide a lot of help for my mom (and for all of the rest of us too). When we were done talking she stood up and turned to me and said stand up, you look like you need a hug. I’m going to give you a hug.  And little miss “dont-touch-me” stood up and let this woman hug some of my hurt out too.

Hugs are powerful, little acts of kindness can make all the difference in someone’s day. Do them. We all need to do them. They are happiness gifts.

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Keeping the faith

I woke up this morning pretty ticked off with God. There’s no nice way to say it, I wasn’t questioning His existence, but rather questioning why He seems to enjoy seeing how much I can take before I break.

Yesterday the boy told me how he felt that his generation hasn’t been raised in the church and he that blamed my generation for that. He said how grateful he was that I’d taken them to church and led them on a path to get to know God.

With that in mind I took my pity party to church this morning in hopes that the sermon would provide me some comfort. It didn’t. It probably annoyed me more than any sermon has in years. Fortunately it was a guest speaker, but I will be happy to not have to hear him again.

I left church still pretty pissy with God. As we came over the hill on our way home and looked out over the ranch and the mountains I stopped the car. I said this is how I know God exists and that he’s not a complete jerk. Look at how beautiful this is, only love could make something so amazing.

Figures since I’ve always found God at the ranch. But it’s not just the place, although it’s very spiritual for me, it’s the people – the tribe – who remind me that God exists in everything.

I stopped by my uncle and aunt’s place to pick up some food for my mom. Watching how my family loves and cares for each other – that’s God stuff, that’s God in the details, that is a reminder that we aren’t walking this journey alone. That is happiness

A photo my dad took of the mountains in the background of the ranch. This is my spiritual happy ground

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Look around

I have spent the last week really humbled by the amount of love and compassion I have seen in the people around me.

If you are able to stop and look around – really look into the souls of the people you walk by – are they living with love or living with fear? I’ve spent a lot of time recently with people who are in fearful situations and yet they are pouring love out of their souls. It is a beautiful thing and it is happiness.

And as an extra moment of happiness, I get to look into this face, these eyes, every single day. How blessed am I?

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That November 15 thing 

There are days that come where the last thing I want to do is find a moment of happiness. Sometimes it feels like things just plain suck, but this is exactly why I do this blog – it’s to remind me that every moment has the potential for happiness. Some moments are greater than others, but there is happiness, peace, love, joy to be found in every moment.

Today would have been Dad’s 77th birthday. I still can’t believe he’s gone, I still want to run over and tell him things when they happen, I look for him when I need advice, I just miss him. He really was quite an exceptional man.

When I look back on my childhood I think the greatest gift I had was the gift of unconditional love. I never once doubted that no matter what I did, how badly I screwed up, what disaster I found myself in, or what amazing things I had to celebrate that my parents loved me and were behind me completely. I didn’t realize what a rare gift that was – to me it was just how life was.

I mean sure, there were those years in my teens when they became totally irrational, but besides that they were pretty amazing parents.

So much is changing right now I can’t catch my breath. I need to sit in the moment and yet I don’t want to. But I will.

My happiness moment today is remembering and celebrating my dad, loving and holding space with my mom, and being so incredibly grateful that I have my sister to walk this path with.

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A little tenderness

I was in the parking lot today and I watched an elderly man push his wife to the car in her wheel chair. She dropped something and he stopped and walked around searching for the item and then handed it back. Then he helped her out of her chair and into their car.

The tenderness this couple had towards each other made my heart smile. There are two options I figure – to live life guided by fear or to live life guided by love. I could feel the love flowing off this old couple. That was happiness.

In the middle of chaos and uncertainty there are people who react with love and tenderness. I aspire to be one of those people.

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Change the world through compassion 

That was the message of the sermon today change the world through compassion. 

I needed to hear that.  More about love and compassion, less about fear and hate 

I let fear sneak back into my heart last week. 

Instead of focusing on what we don’t have I need to put my energy focusing on what we do have. Love, family, peace, safety, freedom. And then focusing on what I have to give. 

I should be giving more. I need to give more of myself. If we all showed more compassion towards each other the world would be a much better place. And that would be a world filed with happiness. 

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The 11th hour 

I got in the car this morning stressed out and in a rush. I put it in reverse and was about to race out of the yard when I listened to what the radio announcer was saying 

It was 11:00 and they were starting their minute of silence

So I stopped my rushing, put the car in park and sat for a minute of gratitude. I love Canada and I’m so thankful we live in this amazing county. It is happiness. 

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My energy and emotions are sacred

My energy and emotions are sacred to me – I read this today and realized that more often than not I don’t consider them sacred at all. Often I let people or situations drain me of my energy and I waste emotions on things and behaviours I can’t change. But my energy and my emotions should be sacred, should be valued, should be respected. Instead of worrying about how other people will feel about that, I need to worry more about why I’m so tired because I let myself get drained. I love it.

Tonight I took the kids out to Chicken on the Way which, although a brutally unhealthy meal, brought back memories of my teen years and stopping for Chicken on the Way on the way home after a night out. We sat and ate in the car which we never do, and laughed and picked at our chicken and really enjoyed ourselves. Rule breaking -sometimes it needs to be done. It was a good use of my sacred energy and emotions. It was happiness.

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