What makes us happy?  Is happiness that feeling of putting on fresh clothes out of the dryer?  Is it peeling a clementine in one peel?  How about that first day in spring you don’t have to wear a jacket or being done with opposite street winter parking, ugh?!

This Thanksgiving season I’ve been thinking a lot about happiness.  Happiness and joy.  I am so thankful for the things in life that bring me joy.  I mean true happiness, not the fleeting kind.  The happiness that my wife brings me when after 15 years I still discover new things about her.  That mind and mood altering feeling you get when you realize you get to grow old with your best friend in the world.  My little brothers and family brings me that kind of happiness too.  God brings great joy into my life.  Even though we can’t always see His plan.  Now, don’t get me wrong all of the above things can be frustrating too!  But we all know that the good in these instances far outweighs the bad.

Adoption makes me happy.  Not happy like watching This Is Us (although it’s a great show). Happy like I know I’m going to parent through adoption one day.  The two just aren’t comparable…it’s finding money you didn’t know was in your pocket VS marrying the love of your life.  You see…kids make me happy.  I like working with kids.  I like being around kids.  They bring me joy.  I think I am going to be a good parent.  And at the very least I know my future child will bring me joy.  Yes, I know there will be frustrating times as well.

Far too often in life we get hung up on the small things that we think will give us true happiness.  Well guess what?  They don’t.  Yeah money is nice, Facebook is fine, vacations are good, but these things won’t bring you joy.  Not pure unadulterated, lasting joy.

So my challenge for you is to take a look at your life…what brings you happiness and joy?  Is it your kids? Hug them a little tighter next time.  Is it your family?  Don’t ignore the call next time.  Is it a spouse or significant other?  Sit and talk with them like you did before the days of Facebook.

In my case one of the things that brings me happiness is adoption.  It has its ups and downs, it’s frustrating, it’s nerve-wracking, it’s weird, it’s complex, it’s heart-wrenching, sometimes people don’t understand it; hell-sometimes I don’t understand it.  But guess what, it makes me happy, it brings me joy.  I haven’t even completed the process-not even close but it gives me the type of joy that I can barely comprehend.  It’s as simple as a picture of your wife-yet as complex as the story that picture tells.

~Eli