Hope and Happiness Bringing Hope and Happiness

Happiness is…Being Resilient What started as a COVID-19 scare in March has turned into a nightmare 8 months later.  Church services being cancelled.  People not being allowed to attend sporting events, movies, concerts or plays.  Vacationers not being able to travel.  Family reunions being cancelled.  No physical social contacts.  Each …

Happiness is…Surviving Cancer    The Saturday before Labor Day, 2019 was going to be hectic but great!  A meeting with a potential client, brunch with our children, my annual family reunion and a trip to the Barter Theater for a performance promised to make it a hap, Hap, Happy weekend.  I …

Happiness is….Good Friday Why Good Friday? I must admit I’ve always had a little bit of problem wrapping my mind around the fact that we take a day in which an innocent man was convicted, beaten, made to carry his own instrument of death, had spikes driven into his body, …

Happiness is.. Surviving the Coronavirus Empty store shelves. Churches voluntarily closing their doors. Banning events of more than 100 people. People advised to stay in their homes and avoid all physical contact with others. I would challenge you would have to go back to WWII to find the measures that …

The Joy Candle Judy and I were blessed this year to be asked to light the Joy Candle during the third week of Advent. Previously we had lit the Hope Candle and the Love Candle.  It seems each year, our pastor has chosen the candle that I needed to light …

Happiness is…Expressing gratitude for the sacrifice of others. Happiness Factors Two contributing factors to extreme happiness is the ability to express gratitude in a genuine way and to recognize the sacrifice of others who have made it possible for you to reach this state of happiness. June 6, 2019, will …

Happiness is…observing the International Day of Happiness, everyday.   The International Day of Happiness  The IDOH was established by the United Nations General Assembly on 28 June 2012 and states that the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal.  They invite the world to observe the day through education and public awareness-raising …

I’m a lover, not a fighter My state has a great state motto, “Virginia is for Lovers”.  I enjoy seeing all the LOVE signs in the various towns and cities in the state.  You might say, I love LOVE. On every list prepared by all happiness experts, there is a …

Happiness is…Taking a risk Are you a risk taker? In a previous blog, Happiness is…Seizing the Moment, I discussed how traveling brings me happiness. In the blog, I referred to an upcoming cruise to the Dominican Republic and The Turks a few weeks later. Well, it turned out to be …

Showing Gratitude “No Man is an Island” is very true. None of us have ever achieved anything without having someone there to help us. Research shows that one of the key characteristics of Happy people is that they show gratitude. To make it even better, the more gratitude they show, …