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Catholic Faith Corner

Living in the Light
of Jesus Christ

Tiny Things That Bring Happiness

Recently someone posted on Facebook a list of tiny things that bring joy. I wish I had copied it. Because I didn’t, I’ve come up with my own list. At the end is something worthwhile that I did copy: a reflection on happiness. Although it is attributed to Pope Francis and sometimes to a poet named Pessoa, its source is unknown. However, it is a thought-provoking piece full of good advice.

My List of Twelve Tiny Things That Make Me Happy

• Finding a missing jigsaw puzzle piece

• Having just enough yarn to finish a project

• Knowing an answer on “Jeopardy” when the three contestants didn’t

• Locating something that was lost

• Making a boiled egg just right

• Clean teeth after a visit to the dentist

• An email from an old friend

• A photo I take that turns out beautifully

• Hearing a touching song

• Fresh sheets on my bed

• A good haircut

• Seeing raindrops sparkling on leaves like jewels

Reflection:

You can have flaws, be anxious, and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from going bust.

Many appreciate you, admire you and love you. Remember that to be happy is not to have a sky without a storm, a road without accidents, work without fatigue, relationships without disappointments.
To be happy is to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear, love in discord. It is not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness. It is not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from the failures. It is not only to feel happy with the applause, but to be happy in anonymity.
Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your destiny’s author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle of life.
Being happy is not being afraid of your own feelings. It’s to be able to talk about you. It is having the courage to hear a “no.” It is confidence in the face of criticism, even when unjustified. It is to kiss your children, pamper your parents, to live poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us.
To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful and simple.
It is to have maturity to be able to say: “I made mistakes.”
It is to have the courage to say “I am sorry.”
It is to have the sensitivity to say, “I need you.”
It is to have the ability to say “I love you.”

May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness …
That in spring may it be a lover of joy;
in winter a lover of wisdom.
And when you make a mistake, start all over again.

For only then will you be in love with life. You will find that to be happy is not to have a perfect life.

But use the tears to irrigate tolerance.
Use your losses to train patience.
Use your mistakes to sculptor serenity.
Use pain to plaster pleasure.
Use obstacles to open windows of intelligence.
Never give up …. Never give up on people who love you. Never give up on happiness, for life is an incredible show.

What tiny things make you happy?

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Jesus depends on us to spread the Good News of God’s love, offering the world hope and joy. Mary Kathleen, a Sister of Notre Dame from Chardon, Ohio, responds through writing, speaking, giving retreats, and teaching. Her motto, adopted from Eddie Doherty’s gravesite, is “All my words for the Word.”

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