A Happy Life

Lately I have been thinking a lot about happiness. And contentment. And how both of those things are intrinsically linked. Someone was asking me the other day about my job, and if there are any elements of it that I just really hate. I sat there for a few minutes thinking about it, and wondering at the fact that there literally isn't anything in my life right now that I hate. Part of that is that fact that I am incredibly blessed  - all my needs are provided for, I don't have to work a "normal" job, I have a husband who loves me, more family and friends than I can barely handle, and a "job" that feels like playing every day.

The other part though, is that I am learning to be content. Are there things about my life that I would like to be different? Sure. I'd love for Wendhurst Castle to be completely renovated. I'd LOVE it if Lover didn't have to travel so much. I'd love it if my family, and my adorable nephews, lived closer.  But, I am not going to dwell on these things. I am learning to simply accept the different things in my life as pieces of a puzzle that all add up to create the wonderful life that I enjoy.

We've spent nearly four out of the last ten months away from home, and that was really hard. At the same time, it was really easy. I'm learning that even though my preference may be for one thing, it does not have to have any bearing on my mood, attitude towards others, or my enjoyment of each day.

When I spent a month in California in August, it was really hard to be away from Lover. It was frustrating to lose time to work on the house, to see friends, to enjoy "my life." But, I got to spend gobs of time with my little one year old nephew who I love to death, get to know my brother-in-law a lot more, and be a blessing to them at a time when they were really in a difficult place. And I honestly loved doing it.

I guess you could say that I am learning to roll with the punches. :-) Paul said, "I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Lately, this verse has made me chuckle, because I have taken it literally to heart: New York, California, Pennsylvania, or even Canada or Spain. But the message there is so much more than just superficial. It means, in a nutshell; "no matter what is going on, I will choose to be satisfied with the life that has been given me."

And that, my friends, is what it is all about. Learning to accept the life God has given you, and being truly grateful for it. Lover said recently, in a conversation about trials and blessings, that some people have trouble seeing the blessings when they are in the midst of  a trial. But, when our perspective is on the blessings that surround us, all of the sudden it is hard to see the trial in the midst of the blessings. I couldn't agree more.