On Choosing Happiness

 Above is the front of a birthday card from one of my sisters...

the quote mom wrote in my card is this; 

Happiness is the art of making a lovely bouquet of the flowers that are within reach

 Here is a glimpse of literal flowers within my reach this morning...

The cover over new today rolls back to spill time’s gold and gray

Earth’s hills and vales a metaphor of love and life’s uneven floor

Where, in its course of no and yes we choose the bloom of Happiness

In spite of hunger’s hidden war we find much to be thankful for

Life’s circumstance and consequence will test the best of good intents

The wiles of us cannot evade the aftermath of choices made

So then, sometimes the path of Must is riddled with crossroads of trust

 There we pursue with consciousness the avenue of happiness

How hard to watch dear loved ones ache because of foolish choice I make

And harder still to watch them pay the price of love; kind, faithful stay

When oft I know that I had earned much more than ‘the other cheek turned’

And I am stunned by forgiveness that helps me find true happiness

Humility can never reign where pride is god of heart’s domain

The hard knocks life let’s to the chin sets whetting stones beneath our skin

Where wise men hone hope’s humble will while fools lament their tent of ill-

Fortune; without words we confess the measure of our happiness

© Janet Martin