Happy is…

When are you most happy?

Circumstances that include celebration bring the biggest smile to my face. And if dancing is included then I’m beside myself with laughter, endorphins free falling from my brain.

Happy is… long anticipated joy!

The birth of a baby
A wedding after a lengthy engagement
A clear health report
Graduation from high school for some and college for others
Baptisms
A long two week trip to the beach
Graduation from boot camp
Completion of certification
Birthday surprise parties
Meals shared around a table

Being happy is glorious and I love it, but living happy non-stop is unrealistic. The more important question is:

“When are you most content?”

Contentment comes from within and dwells secure regardless of circumstances. I’ve not reached the apostle Paul’s level of contentment, nor that of the monks, the desert fathers and mothers of days gone by. But, I’m seeking to know experientially this secret place of contentment.

Contentment is… acceptance of what is, and deliberately choosing to rest in the Sovereign purpose of it all.

Dwelling in silence for an extended period of time
Listening to the soothing restful sounds of instruments only
Finding gratitude in unlikely people and places
Receiving pictures of our girl
Experiencing up close the unique beauty of creation
The deep breathing of our pups curled up at the end of the day
Holding hands with my dear man while we sleep
Walking, simply the ability to walk
The sounds of family stories around a table… the new ones and the oft repeated
Repurposing furniture
Listening to another person’s life journey
Receiving snail mail full of current events back east
Receiving the gifts of a loving Father for this chapter of our lives… gifts we never would have chosen for ourselves
Watching a baby grow and become and learn the coolest things like puckering up and pointing and enjoying crumb cake with her Oomy
An awareness that I am dearly loved, accepted, chosen and cherished by a Savior who bent low to bring out of the grasp of death eternal