What is happiness?

The miracle of life
At 54 years of age I have always found great joy in a bouquet of flowers, a beautiful piece of music, a special moment with individual family members (3 sons, 1 daughter-in-law, treasure of a husband), a friend's kind gesture but most recently one of the greatest joys I have ever experienced was when I held my great niece for the first time. She was premature and a bad cold had kept me away...finally in the New Year I was able to see her about 3 months after her birth. The moment she was in my arms her little spirit so perfect beyond belief moved me more deeply and profoundly than I have ever been in a long long time. Madalyn is the first baby born in our family of all the nieces and nephews. My heart was filled with joy. I can hardly wait to visit with her again.

Deb Attas, Toronto, Ont.

Supportive pals in challenging times
In the last year I have experienced many tough situations, from brain surgery to the end of a long-term relationship to the loss of a very important family member, and the thing that brings me the greatest joy is the fact that at only 28 years old I have the incredible opportunity to be able to acknowledge all of those people who have carried me through these difficult times. Not many people at my age are given the chance to stop and really take a look at their life -- I have been given this gift in my very early years, so that I can stop and make the changes necessary to choose happiness in my life. This is not an easy path and I have been faced with many challenges along the way, but never alone. I have been given the gift of being able to accept help and support without feeling the shame of having someone lend you a hand -- this allows me to smile through my tears and lets me know that I have so many things to be thankful for every day.

Krista Maling, Toronto, Ont.

Family experiences
Last Christmas we bought my then 14 year old daughter a series of riding lessons at a local horse stable. (Something she has wanted to do since she was about 6 years old.) Over the past year we have watched her learn and grow. Her passion for the horses, and their comfort and well-being, growing stronger every visit. She is now 15 and this Christmas we bought her a horse she had been taking care of since mid fall. His name is Joey and he will follow her everywhere she goes, watch her every move and loves her just as much as she loves him. We have a younger daughter who is 6 who also loves our trips to the barn to be with the horses. For us, to just take the time to unwind from the everyday, spend time with the girls and the horses, breathe fresh air, get some exercise and just wallow in their sheer joy and passion...I think the word joy could be amplified 100 times!

Nancy Petersen, Surrey, B.C.