YOUR WEEKLY SUNDAE- Don't Worry, Be Happy

Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistiation,” and so in an attempt to be sophisticated, and leave my long ramblings behind, I'll try to keep this simple :)

So thinking back on our last email (and I congratulate you if you finished reading it!), if the purpose of life is to prepare to return to our Heavenly Father, and be happy while doing so, then why does God allow evil and suffering to occur? But before attacking this beast of a question i think it would be important to first understand...what IS happiness?

To be honest i never really thought about this, happiness was just....happiness! If circumstances allowed it i was happy, if circumstances weren't to my liking, i wasn't. How do you like that black and white way of living?

Now I'm no means a professional on the subject, as I'm still learning myself. I mean you're talking to a girl who yells at computer screens when they decide to glitch, but it's doesn't take much to see that life is so much more than black and white! And through all the color shades of life we really can be happy. Not so much being happy for things, but being happy in our circumstances-whatever they may be. If there is one thing that i have learned about happiness it's that it's an inside source, NOT an outside. Happiness is not being able to put checks on your personal checklist titled, "The Things I Need to be Happy," but by realizing that happiness is in the journey, not in the finish line. I HATED hearing people say, "It's easy, just be happy" It made me want to do something to them that would definitely make me happy, but them maybe not so much, because it's NOT easy, but it IS simple. I've narrowed it down to two attributes:

FAITH and GRATITUDE

First, Faith.

Think of the happiest person you know, were they happy because of a lack of trials? I bet my money that's a big fat "NO". From my personal experience the happiest people i know are the ones who 

have proven that happiness is not a lack of trials, but having the strength and resources to endure faithfully with an eternal perspective. It requires faith, but take it from me an eternal perspective always tends to lighten things up.  What's helps me apply this theory more fully in my life is by applying two attributes that are intertwined with faith: PATIENCE and OPTIMISM. Patience to understand that my plan for happiness is on the Lord's timetable, not mine. And optimism because i have always found that the best results come by laughing, and/or trying to make the best out of any situation that could lead me to be unhappy. Not easy, but simple, yes. 

Next, Gratitude.
There's a scripture in the Book of Mormon from the book of Alma that says, "by small and simple things are great things come to pass," Sometimes i think that so much of our time is spent looking for the great things, that we completely miss the small and simple which i believe are the majority of the moments that fabricate our lives! We have big moments, oh yes, but the small moments are countless in between! So look for them, and when you find them, be happy and grateful for the small things of life. Take the time and slowwww dowwwwn....

So, forget not to be happy now. BE HAPPY by exercising faith by means of patience and optimism, and keep an eye out for any moment to be grateful. The happiest people are not those who find their "golden ticket" (read this awesome talk or Sister Litvinova's email); but those who choose happiness rather than letting their circumstances choose for them. They are those who discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, let go of the things that are supposedly going to make us happy, and step by step move towards a life of faith and gratitude. These are they who are truly happy.
We all have this place inside us that wants to be filled with the happiness, and if we don't fill it the world will be happy to fill it up with something else, and usually that something else is not particularly good for you. So beat the world to the punch and fill it with things worthwhile and not fleeting. Don't get caught up thinking that success is what it takes to be happy, but remember that happiness is what brings success!
You know the routine, if you have comments or questions you know where to send 'em!

Have a happy and successful week!
-Sister Roe

P.S. Come to our Halloween party this Wednesday at 6:30 at ул. Шота Руставели 16 3й этаж, and bring your friends! Costumes are optional. Happy Halloween!