What makes you happy?

[Susan]

I just have to share a link this morning...

My sweet friend who is also my favorite photographer {she took my daughter's senior pictures} just got back from 2 weeks in Africa. She went along as the photographer of the group of humanitarians bringing water and new buildings to a small village in Ethiopia.

She's been putting pictures up on her blog - and this morning's post hit me. "What makes you happy?"

Here is the link...amyfraughtonphotography.com/blog/?p=562

The picture of this gorgeous little girl - hauling hunks of rock and concrete - and she's completely enthralled with the process! Sure, perspective is part of it - but attitude is most of it I think.

I've been thinking all morning how to answer the question..."what makes me happy?"...and most of my answers have been tongue-in-cheek - good mail, sleeping all night, a clean scrap table, phone calls from mom, house guests, baking sugar cookies...and lime green socks. But the more I thought about it this morning, the more I honed my thinking and I came up with my answer...HOME makes me happy!

Home is where my children are, and I love hearing their laughter {and arguing} in the hallway and bathroom this morning.

Home is where extended family gathers to celebrate and rejoice. Where everyone can be under one roof to share memories and ideas. {We're getting ready for this is THIRTY days, and I couldn't be happier!}

Home is where people know where to find me, to drop in or swing by.

Home is where my best work takes place.

Home is the place that smells wonderful when sugar cookies are in the over {6th batch, thank you very much!}

Home is where I have the ability to provide a room and/or a bed for a friend who needs space, or a relative who wants to visit.

HOME - is what makes me happy! This is oh-so-going-to-be a scrapbook page. Don'tcha think??

My girlfriend came home a different person. Not in any big huge visible ways, but in small, attitude and perspective ways. I think it's so cool - and I'm loving the insights she's been sharing since she got home. She's a photographer, but NOT a scrapbooker. I keep telling her that her words need to get written down...because her photos are only one part of the story.

So - what do you think? What makes you happy??

OH - but I did decide that if SHE can keep coconut cupcake from Sprinkles on her list, I still get to keep lime green socks on my list!! LOL

So my sentence now is "Home makes me happy, and lime green socks makes things fun !"

[Karen W]

WOW! That picture does speak volumes! Works makes her Happy! What an experience Amy must have had, unforgettable for sure.

What make me happy? My first reaction was receiving a drawing from Sophia makes me happy. I have one posted on the front of my fridge and it makes me smile every day.

So I will have to say that my extended family makes me happy!

Karen

[Dania]

Oh Susan! I love it. Yes home makes me happy too. Home is where my heart is. That is a great scrapbook page! Especially since the home I live in now was given to me as a surprise gift from my husband. It's comfortable enough for entire family to stay and the neighbors have been such a blessing to me. I have a room that I can scrap with my girlfriends and then provide for Bible Studies. I do need to take pictures and scrap everything about it.

[vicki7]

That is a good question. I'd say home too except with all the kids grown and off, I only get everyone home at the same time once every 4 years or so and don't want that to sound like that's the only time I'm happy so I have to say family makes me happy cause sometimes I go to them. Hope I'm making sense, am on day 4 of nasty sinus issues and most of the time I'm fighting to keep my eyes open, lol. So my immediate happy would be feeling good. Feeling good would make me very happy!
Vicki

[AnnaMatrix]

Helping makes me happy. I think that's why I chose to be a physician. Many days go by when I feel I haven't been able to really make a difference to anyone, but occasionally a patient will tell me: "I feel so much better after talking to you." On those days, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and my heart fills with joy. Gail

[northerncrafter9]

What makes me happy is being alive and being with my family! What makes things fun are being creative and sharing that with people who care and I care about.

Dawn

[Deleted]

For me, "home" makes me happy, because I feel that it's the "hub" of everything else that makes me smile...

My family (of course!)
The "escape" from the outside world, or however much that I choose to invite inside.
Good friends...right next door, or here at SL.
Sunshine, because there's been so little of it lately! Today, there's a mix of clouds and sun (and color, because just about everything in the garden is in bloom).

It's not so much "things", although crafting and music hopefully make me more creative, and possibly make a difference in someone else's life.

Thank you, Susan, for giving us the opportunity to share with each other!

***And I'm very happy to see Karen posting, since NC has had such dreadful weather!

[craftygirl]

Home makes me happy too. My family is home, even if the house the home is in changes every few years when the AF sends us on our way. Taking care of my family and doing little things above and beyond for them makes me happy too. For some odd reason, I always feel happy when I am driving home from the commissary (and not just because I have survived the lines once again). I guess I like taking care of them. I am also so happy when I see my kids getting along and being nice to one another.

Thanks Susan, this is a great thread and the photo your friend took definitely shows happiness. I think the girl's happiness is infectious, which is a very good thing.

[Cat]

My family makes me happiest.....but having said that.....it's not just my blood kin or husbands blood kin. It's kids of all sizes, shapes, races and ages. It's elderly people too. I enjoy teaching kids, and I love them all. I love talking and learning different ways to think about things from really old peoples and I love them too.
I grew-up in a family where there was always room for more at our table. Holidays where crazy fun. If someone couldn't go home for Christmas, Easter, etc or their parents had a job where they had to work or in some cases some had no family at all they were welcome in our home. There was always plenty to eat. (We were consider poor as far as income, but we were and are the riches people I know.) Our tradition is still carried on even now. It wasn't unusual for us to have a dozen extra kids and a couple of elderly people at one meal extra besides all my aunts, uncles, and cousins......(and some of their friends)........besides the plates of food & small gifts carried to home bond senior citizens.

This Is what makes me happier than anything in the world..... is loving & caring for other people.


Cat

[Susan]

what great answers everyone!

My one thought is - do people know your answers? Does your family know how you feel? Do your friends know that you'd answer that way? Could you prove it?

Kind of weird to think about, but it'd sure make for a great scrapbook page or two!! Who knows what your pictures would be of, maybe the people, maybe the front door, maybe a daisy outside the window - but the words you all wrote here could be copied verbatim!

Thanks for playing along and answering - good stuff to know!!

[Karen W]

I do see a scrapbook page in my future! Thanks for starting this thread and getting us to think about our answers.

**Diane thanks for thinking of me. I am fine and thoughts and prayers are going out to the folks that weren't so lucky in the last storm

Karen

[Dania]

This thread has been very interesting. It is another way of counting your blessing. A picture, some journaling.....my head is now spinning with ideas. Thanks for the inspiration.

[Basketlady]

I love reading this thread. You all have some really great answers.

I'd have to say Family. I would say home, but home changes every few years. And I don't like our current house! But our family is our safe place; our soft place to land. And that's important to me.

[Deleted]

Apr 20, 2011 19:48:55 GMT -5 Basketlady said:

...I would say home, but home changes every few years. ...

Michelle, do you know yet where your next "soft place to land" will be?

[Basketlady]

No. We had heard that Monday was the day, but we are still waiting. Lots of other Colonel selectees received their assignments on Monday, but nothing for us. Big Dog got all of her shots and bloodwork done last week, just in case we go overseas. (There is usually a 90 window this needs to be done in.) I'm about to lose my mind!

But on the bright side, the kids are on Spring Break and we are exploring Boston this week. We did the JFK library and the John/John Quincy houses today, the pilgrim stuff on Monday and we are doing the Freedom Trail tomorrow. Our family is just a bunch of history geeks!

[crazy4pink]

That sounds fun, Michelle- I wish we had great places close to us. I love history too.

[Basketlady]

Cindy, it was a fun day. But boy oh boy, was it windy! Crazy windy! We started out at the Constitution, took a ferry over to the city and then made our way through the town. The National Park puts on a great tour and we were lucky enough to get on the one tour of the day. There are some really neat old nooks and crannies around town. We had lunch at a great deli right off Boston Common. I feel like we did a good job this week.

But I'm pooped! I'm almost glad that I have physical therapy tomorrow and then we are filling Easter baskets at the church for a local shelter. And grocery shopping--it's a light day!