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       In recent blogs I’ve written about how to deal with anxiety, fear, suicide of a loved one and deep grief. Now here is one that begins with pure joy. For as you may see in the picture, I am about to kiss again my newborn grandchild--my 16^th one at that.

         Babies always have the scent of paradise on them with something deeply mysterious in their tiny human features. My new grandson Uri, which translates from Hebrew as My Light is no exception. His eyes for the first time are taking in this world.

         But alas, this world is ruled by a law that assures nothing stays the same and happiness will never last long.  The very impermanence of happiness  can make us very sad indeed.

             As I kiss my newborn grandson, I know how quickly he will grow. Already he knows how to nurse like an expert. His eyes search out my daughter’s eyes. He already shoots a powerful stream of urine in the air when his diaper is being changed. Sooner than we can believe he will be standing in his crib, then crawling on the floor, walking, running to his adulthood.

              While I am growing old , very old indeed. When he is ten or eight or 6, God knows, I may not even be alive. And yes, it could make me and my family very sad indeed.

               And that is perhaps why I felt weakened after my 16th grandchild was born. Two days after his birth I came down with a fever.  I had been so overtaken by happiness I hadn’t taken the time to assimilate this VERY HAPPY experience. 

                TO ASSIMILATE HAPPINESS THAT HAS PASSED MEANS  A FEELING OF GRATITUDE WILL STIR WITHIN YOU NOW

                  GRATITUDE OUTLIVES HAPPINESS!

            Feeling gratitude for what we have already been given and may yet be given IS within our power.  It breeds deep LASTING joy. 

             Feeling gratitude takes the place of fleeting happiness. Expressing this in words as a prayer, a poem, a journal entry, a little narrative records it forever in your life story. 

                  Expressing gratitude is  a creative task that takes practice. It means writing about HOW your joy came about. For feelings of gratitude arise usually after a terrible problem is resolved; after a possible danger is averted; after a deep wish has been granted; after a bout of sickness in the family, upon seeing someone you longed for, or any painful phase which turns out well.

                    Writing about your joy means you have to feel the sorrow or worry or distress that proceeded it. You have to write about that too.

                       HERE IS A PLAN TO GET YOUR STARTED

1.   Recall an event that brought you great happiness.

2.   Now begin to write about the less happy circumstances that preceded it.  Write down all the details you can.

3.   Then vent your relief, your thankfulness that all this good happened after all.

         IF YOU DO THESE THREE THINGS ABOVE, THIS IS HOW IT WILL

                         AFFECT YOU

1.   You can accept calmly that any happiness that depends on what the world throws your way, will not last.

2.   You may feel a lasting joy which you yourself generate!

3.   You will feel immense appreciation for all aspects of your life, its joys and its sorrows and trials and tribulations.

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