Writers are, by nature, observers. We watch, we evaluate, we consider. In the past few months, I've had the opportunity to observe some very different individuals. I could not help but compare and contrast.
I watched while one wife and mother abandoned her husband, her two young children, and her religion, ignoring covenants and promises. And I watched while her husband picked up the pieces of the life they had made together, gathered his two little boys close to him, and moved forward in faith.
I watched as another husband turned away from his wife and his smal daughter, choosing his addictions over them. And I watched as his wife forged ahead, determined to make a life for herself and her daughter.
Selfishness and selflessness. Two words, derived from the same root, but with very different meanings.
The other night, I spoke with my grown son and asked how he was doing. He said that he had decided to "choose happiness." The simplicity of the words did not negate their impact: to choose happiness.
Happiness, as defined by the world, includes such things as material possessions, financial success, fame, notoriety, and excess. My son, still in his 30s, has a much more mature and eternal definition of happiness: doing what is right despite difficult circumstances.
So, for today, I am grateful for those who choose happiness.
