WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

Yesterday was the fourth of July--a celebration of our Declaration of Independence where among many other rights we were given was the pursuit of happiness. Some of our Middle Eastern countries are now beginning their revolutions against the tyranny of dictators and seeking the same rights as we enjoy.

So just what is happiness. Happiness is different for a lot of people. Some are happy just to have something to eat and a place to sleep. Others have to have houses with all the amenities, the supposed disappearing middle class. And still others are not happy unless they own big and multiple houses built like castles. A lot of us today would be happy to just have a job!

That is just one phase or example of what makes some people happy. We could list many more. Healthy children. Being loved by someone, having numerous friends, traveling wherever we like, being healthy which is probably foremost as none of the others matter if you are not well. Having a lifework that one enjoys and supports one's family. Certain foods one loves to eat. Losing weight. There are so many things one can think of that make us happy.

So why are so many of us unhappy? Are we getting too greedy? Do we try too hard to keep up with the Joneses? Do we forget to count our blessings instead of the bad things that happen to us? Do we take our measure of health for granted? Have material things taken over what really matters in life? The loss of a loved one. Do we forget that there is a mystery here that we cannot know.

What makes you happy? Little things like someone I know--a cold glass of beer. Being able to get up when you feel like it. Being able to even walk. The feel of the water around your body while swimming in a beautiful lake. A piece of lemon meringe pie. A surprise visit from a friend. A warm Spring rain or a lovely floaty snowfall. A dog who adores you for no reason at all.

Take a minute or two and comment on what makes you happy.

Does the Food Bring Them Home?

Since time immemorial, mothers have welcomed a visit from their grown children. I was only 9 years old, but I remember my mother’s excitement when her two eldest came home to Michigan for Christmas. It was during the depression and we had moved from Illinois and left them both behind. Each were graduated from college, but both worked at the Wurlitzer Piano Factory. (When you had a job, then, you kept it and were glad to have one.)

It was the first time our family had broken up and she missed them deeply. She had baked and prepared for their coming for many weeks. All of their favorite dishes: Swedish Limpa bread, Swedish Coffee Bread, Peppeeracawker ( I can’t spell Swedish) a kind of ginger cookie, and Spritz, a butter cookie. Even the good old fruit cake.

Why is it that when we moms have grown children coming to visit, the first thing we do is get their favorite foods ready to go the minute they get there? I know I do. My eldest son is visiting and I was thinking about it as I made his favorite dinner—good ole roast beef and mashed potatoes and gravy and a lemon meringue pie. I smiled as I remembered an incident that happened not too long ago.

My daughter had been home for a few weeks one summer and my eldest son flew in to visit also. He and I were in the kitchen making my his favorite lemon pie when my daughter walked in, saw what I was doing and said, “Oh, SURE!"

It was such a delightful déjà vu moment, her reaching back to a sibling rivalry and especially funny after I showed her that her favorite butterscotch pie was already in the oven. And these “kids” were in their 40’s!

So is food our foremost way of showing how much we love them and how much we miss them?

But my biggest question is this? Do they come home and are glad just to see us and be with us , or do they come to gather up some of their childhood by eating their favorite foods?