Being Happy

A friend posted a quote on Facebook from a source that is very dear to my heart:

“In all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.” - Gordon B. Hinckley

I believe this to be true.  I want to apply this principle to my life every day.  I ache to be happy.  I have 1,000 reasons to be happy.  I do things that I enjoy, I do things of which I have fun, and I definitely love laughter.  When I was a child I remember getting caught up in laughter, taking me to a state of out-of-control.  With tears running down my face and a sore belly the ride would eventually come to a stop.  Laughter often comes now as a surprise like a sudden jolt of electricity that tickles my soul.  I will sometimes keep a laugh going beyond the reality of the humor in hopes of savoring the feeling just a little longer.  Sometimes that makes me sad. 

I have read a lot of books and have been well educated on how to acknowledge life's difficulties and then move on or use them to better ourselves.  I know that our thoughts can determine how we feel.  I have a strong faith in God and that He wants me to be happy. I know that I am a child of God and that I am eternally loved.  I have great reasons to be joyful, happy, and to enjoy life.  I continue to press forward with faith that I can live life happily rather than just enduring.  That I can truly realize and accept that life really is to be enjoyed, that despite the 1,000 reasons I have to be sad, I can rather be happy.