happiness and joy

(I aplogize for the lack of photos - I am figuring out a few things and will have photos up by the end of the month!)

Winter has set in; cold days that keep fluctuating with warm afternoons on random days.  There is something about winter that invites us to take stock of where we are in our lives and what our ambitions are for the future.  I've been thinking a lot lately about happiness and where we are in life.

I can honestly say that I don't think I've been happier in my adult life as I am at this time.  (With the exception of the day each of our children were born- pure bliss) We may not have a lot of material things, but that is okay with us - we have been lucky enough to realize in the past few years how little those  things really matter.  We have a lovely, warm, safe home; a healthy(ish) (and doctor's to help along the way) family; a strong network of family and friends who offer support and love; and we have each other.  It sounds simple as I type it out, but that is the bulk of what makes me happy right now.  Brian and I both have jobs with companies we love and see a long career for each of us at the respective companies.  The girls go to a fabulous school that offers so much to enrich their lives.  The values and morals of the school (and most of the families) are in line with the morals and values we try to instill in them at home. 

Have we made sacrifices to get here?  Yes, most definitely.  Are every one of those sacrifices worth it - yes, most definitely.  We are surrounded by media advertising that tries to tell us about products and items that will bring more happiness into our lives.  It can be hard not to lose yourself in those tornadoes of ads.  It has taken a long time for me (and Brian) to build the foundation that helps us not sway too far from our center.  We still have wants, but now we can see them as wants - not needs.  We have all we need and most days :) that is enough.  There are still things we want and those items do bring happiness; but only because they are knit into the rest of our lives.  They don't bring us Joy - just fleeting bits of happiness throughout the day. 

Joy and happiness - two similar but very different emotions.  Happiness comes from things that make you laugh, bring a smile to your face, and warm your heart.  Happiness can also be fleeting.  Joy stems from faith and a sense of being part of something more than life here on earth.  I hope to pass to our children the difference and how to be happy.  I want them to know Joy even in dark times.

The past month I've been overcome with concerns on how to keep our littles safe.  I am haunted by the events of a month ago, and it still brings tears to my eyes when I think of the horrific loss those parents and families and loved ones faced that day.  I would like nothing more than to home school and keep them contained in a "safety" bubble.  I know this is impractical and not possible, and I also know it's not the way we want them to live.  We want them to experience all the Joys and the sadness of life.  We want them to feel safe when they walk out the door and know ways to help keep them safe.  They are the most amazing miracles I know; it's hard to let them out of our grasp.  I want them to know there are more good people than bad in the world and that they are part of the good in this world.  I want them to open their hearts to feel compassion and empathy for others. 

This life we have on earth is wondrous but short.  We need to take stock and see what it is that makes us happy and follow that path.  It's not the same path for everyone, and sometimes that can be hard to see.  We need to feel at peace with our own path to happiness and find Joy in seeing others on their path.  Happiness and Joy; a theme for 2013 perhaps?