We headed to Banff for a rainy evening in the mountains. It was fun and so enjoyable to spend it with my favourite people. We ate fondue, the kids got candy, we walked the street in the rain with his jacket as our umbrella. It was happiness.
Tag Archives: happiness
Walk your talk
On the way through town tonight the kids and I saw a bumper sticker that said the best sermons are lived not preached.
Those words really hit home today as most of it was spent thinking about integrity and living my faith by my actions not my words. I dispise when people preach at me how I should live, but their own actions say something completely different. I spent a lot of years living with the ache in my gut and in my heart that comes from that kind of imbalance. I’m certainly not there yet, but I strive to have my actions and my beliefs be one and the same. Fortunately I am now surrounding myself with people who help guide me to this instead of tear me apart from it.
My happiness moment was a peaceful evening at a dear friend’s home with my monsters. There’s a lot of joy found in a comfortable moment.
As a bonus we had a beautiful sunset to watch on the way home. In case I haven’t mentioned it – I love where I live.
By the garden
I’m sitting outside by my garden enjoying some evening sun before calling it a day. I love how the seeds I planted and cared for are turning into plants and starting to flower. I have yearned for a garden for years. We were too transient and never had the right spot to really enjoy this kind of space.
Watching things grow here is also kind of how I feel about my life in general. I planted the seeds of prayer and hope for a better life a few years ago and finally I’m starting to see the rewards of that. Things are growing and flourishing. We are smiling and laughing more. We feel safe and secure back in our tribe. It’s good or the soul. It is the benefit of all of these happiness moments – every single day, even in the crap days.
I love this space I am in. Being here makes me happy. That which makes me feel at home brings me a soul bliss happiness moment.
Skunked
Normally my dog getting sprayed by a skunk would be the farthest thing possible from my happiness moment. What made it count today was the fact that I had someone to help me deal with the aftermath.
I can’t even begin to describe the blessing it is to have someone standing at my side helping me out. Happiness bliss.
Walking on
A simple happiness moment. A supper outside and an evening walk with someone who makes me laugh and makes me feel happy and safe. It is good.
Father’s Day laughter
This tribe, this awesome tribe. What an evening. Special thank you to Ryan for tasting the bean boozled nasty candy and letting us laugh. We giggled over song lyrics and chatted about everything you could imagine. And ate until we almost burst. How blessed am I to be part of this tribe.
In Dad’s words
I spent some time this morning looking through the books that Dad put together for us over the past few years. They include some of his photography, but also he did a lot of writing as he shared his spiritual beliefs and told stories of the flowers we used to look at together.
I came across something he wrote for Advent in 2007 that gave me huge comfort today. I miss our talks and I miss his guidance. We didn’t always agree on everything, but I know he always supported and wanted the best for all of his loved ones. I think I took for granted for a lot of years what it was like to go through life knowing that I had these two powerful forces in my parents who would always have my back no matter what showed up ahead of me. I didn’t realize what a unique and special gift that was until I had hit a few bumps in the road and really discovered who really had my back in the dark times.
Dad’s words:
There are times when it is exciting to go fast. At these times it is very easy to forget to thank Jesus for all that we are given.
But sometimes we get going too fast. Sometimes we try to do too much. As a child at school and a grownup working inside or outside a home. At these times we often forget to ask Jesus to guide us and take time to pray for his assistance. He is waiting for our call.
Sometimes we get so overwhelmed that we want to go and hide. At these times we are so concerned about our problems that we do not feel Jesus walking through it with us. But he is there with us.
With all this activity, it can be difficult to remember why we’re so busy.
But if we can find just one quiet moment in our day to pause and centre ourselves and think about the awesome, beautiful sacrifice Christ came to make;
If we can spend even a second thanking Him for His ministry, His teachings, and His example, and His life, death and resurrection, we will surely be able to find within ourselves that intangible “Spirit of Christmas” that enables us to give of ourselves until we think we’ve giving it all – and then give just that one bit more – to find that we are able to give whatever is needed at all times of the year.
I have wondered over the past few months what advice Dad would give me as my life has turned inside out and taken a completely different direction. I think of our walks along the ridge while we explored and discussed our Faith, and I think this is pretty much exactly what he would say to me right now.
I am so thankful he took the hours of love labour to put together these books for us to have to remember him by. I am thankful for the guidance he showed me and the unconditional love that was showered on me.
Aside from the deep soul bittersweet happiness of these memories, I have a happiness moment to look forward to later on today. We are gathering with some of the extended tribe to celebrate the other fathers in the family. I feel incredibly blessed that we have so many strong, loving men in our family.
this is one of Dad’s photos of the sunflowers. In the months after he died sunflowers kept showing up in my life all over the place. They remind me that he is still close by.
This boy
My baby turned 15 today. To say that is my happiness moment is an understatement. That kid has changed everything about my world and made it better. He is one of God’s great gifts and I am grateful for his presence in my life.
Here he is with his traditional birthday breakfast pie. Raspberry this year. 
Setting the standard
I was pretty sure when I woke up this morning that my happiness moment was going to be a no brainer – today is my unniversary.
I wasn’t sure what to do about that this year. It’s been a difficult day for me for the past few years as things went from difficult and strained to really freaking bad. This year though, I felt like it needed recognition somehow. This year the date marks the beginning of my new life, of freedom, of the possibilities of new beginnings
I pulled out my wedding album and took scissors and then a match to it. I have wondered for a while what to do with that album. I didn’t want it in the house anymore, I didn’t feel like just throwing it out. So, I had a ceremony with it. I let all of the hopes, dreams, prayers for that life go up in flames. I set fire to them and watched them drift away. They’re not hopes, dreams, or prayers for my life anymore – and I have not wanted them for a while. I have new ones now, happy ones, authentic ones.
Interestingly, it was not something done in anger. It was done very mindfully and it released a lot of stuff that really needed to go. I saged the house afterwards and felt those toxic emotions leave our home.
I realized that I will never, ever again let someone else set the standard for what I can achieve. I also realized that the people who are close in my life now believe in me and want to see me thrive – as I do for them.
Then I spent the afternoon with someone who has become very dear to me. It came to me while we were together that I am no longer running from anything, I also am no longer running towards anything . I am now living in this space where I am. I am on the road and I’m loving the journey.
I thought that was going to be my happiness moment, but then the kids and I went to the fruit truck in Cochrane and loaded up with BC cherries and raspberries. We ran back to the car and sat in the parking lot gorging ourselves and moaning loudly about how delicious it was. I love this time of year when the berries and the cherries have arrived. I love that they love it as much as I do.
(this is one of my dad’s photos)
Clean it up
The boy bravely entered into his pit with a garbage bag and cleaned and organized his bedroom. He has a tiny little space that he loves, but it does get messy very easily. He spent hours sorting and moving things this evening. Now his room is a happier, safer feeling place and he has this great sense of accomplishment. And that was a happiness moment for me.
It’s something we continue to do with our lives in general these days – assess what we need and where it fits and get rid of the rest. Life gets too complicated with too many things and too many distractions.
As a bonus happiness moment I was reminded today how important it is to really talk about big things with my close people. I don’t want to spend any more of my life with yucky feelings between me and the people I love.
