I am happiest when...

When I ponder what makes me happy, I recall the Joy Dare experiment from this past winter. During our Bible Study of 1,000 Gifts I started to keep a list of gifts. And that gave me a list of things that make me happy.

It was such a great lesson... that love is all around us. But it does take slowing down and noticing.
Paying attention.
Being deliberate.

It is easy to live in such a rush that we neglect to savor good food. Yesterday, I paid attention to the amazing granola, honey and fresh strawberries in my breakfast bowl. Wow.

Or to appreciate the brilliant colors all around us. Like the ruby red color of the rhubarb-strawberry jam I just canned. The yellow “lemonade” sign on the stand we made to sell drinks and raise money for my uncle, who has cancer. The green grass. The blue sky. The black thunderclouds. The rainbow after the storm.

The outside world makes me so very happy every day, if I let it. The feel of a breeze on my hot skin after I’ve been gardening. The warmth of the sun while we hang out in the backyard with the kids.

I love the feeling of accomplishment after a job well done. After I’ve made something with my own hands — or nurtured a garden into bloom. Fixed the toy. Erected the fence. Fashioned broken pieces back together into something beautiful. Made a trellis from fallen tree branches. There’s something especially satisfying about reclaiming and reusing and remaking what was old or broken or discarded.

And then, there are my children. Oh, the joy they bring every day ... when I stop hustling them to the car or rushing them into bed. When I take the time to notice the funny face and hear the sweet story. I wish there was a way to capture every single thing they do and say. And I try with my camera and my notebook, but I still only get pieces.

But perhaps, it is these pieces that make me happiest.