“It is not happiness that makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy. Every moment is a gift.” ― Dalai Lama XIV, The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
One of my favorite books is “The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World. It is written by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Douglas Abrams. The two men are good friends and the book is a recording of a visit between the two of them as they reflect on life and faith and what it means to be happy and where happiness comes from.
While they have vastly different life experiences, they share a mutual love of the world and for humanity. I loved reading about their interactions with each other and how personal they seemed to be with each other. They were willing to share their experiences knowing what they shared was going to be honored and respected. The other person did not judge the experience, but rather tried to understand the experience. They encouraged and supported one another and while reading, you could feel how genuinely the two men cared for one another.
A characteristic that both men share about how they live their life is gratitude. They are both extremely grateful people, which in turn, they believe is what makes them happy people. While happiness is in the title of the book, I believe gratitude is the most prevalent topic of the book. Happiness is the result of being grateful. We don’t start with happiness; we end with happiness. We begin with gratefulness.
I know we are all tired right now. Even with the sun shining and the weather getting warmer, because of the pandemic, everything can feel like a slog. Heck, even without the pandemic, life can be heavy. When the heaviness sets in it is easy to let it weigh you down and take control of your life. A way to combat that heaviness is with gratefulness. You don’t have to be grandiose about it or come up with an exhaustive list. You just need to think about one thing, however little, that will lift your heart and, hopefully, put a smile on your face.
Right now, I am sitting in my office looking out the window at Walmart. Not the best view in the world, but there is a tree right outside and the leave are a deep dark red. The sun is out and as soon as I finish this article I get to go home for the weekend (I try and take Friday’s off and have nothing scheduled for tomorrow!) and go to my son’s lacrosse game. I am pretty grateful for those things, which makes me pretty happy. I can feel a chain reaction.
What are you thankful for?
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Tim