I am a very happy person.  My key to being happy is having love in my heart and keeping it replenished while living in my heart in the present moment.  Sometimes I am just sitting in a chair and all of a sudden I get the feeling inside similar to "being in love" and just knowing the world is good, and so are so many others.  The good people far surpass the sick ones which do evil things or make black magic because they are so miserable.

This is not to say I do not experience stressful times or sadness at times as well as anger.  All in all it is in the minority though.

NBC this week featured stories about the inherent goodness in others and how they demonstrate this.  One was about a restaurant where you are asked to just leave what you can afford for the meal and if you are homeless you eat for free.  It is all on the honor system; it works too.

My spiritual searching for the past twenty-five years has blossomed so much.  I know that what others think, say or do has nothing to do with me.  I take nothing personal, and I allow the child part of me to  keep popping up.  I sure am happy this came in my later years.

Tell us about yourself.  Are you happy basically and how did you accomplish this.

I agree, Rev Doris, that worrying is pointless.  Whenever I find myself caught up in a restless night of worrying, I try to think of something constructive that I can do tomorrow.  Worrying about things, without doing anything, just generates a lot of fear and anxiety.  I like this quote, from Goethe:  "Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it.  Action has magic, grace, and power in it."  Even if your action proves not to be the right one, at least you have one thing that you know won't work.  Start here, and keep trying.  It usually works for me.  Another thing that has helped me to be happier is to ask myself one question before I decide to buy anything.  It is this:  "Do I need it, or do I just want it?"  A lot of unnecessary problems came into my life by complicating everything with uneeded purchases.  By eliminating the things I don't really need, I have more time to enjoy and employ the things I do.   I don't have to worry about them, or try to protect them either.  This has led to me not caring about how I stand , in comparison to others.  I judge my happiness now by a different standard, and it automatically dissolved some of the time-wasters, such as envy and greed that go along with it.                                                                       Leslie

Rev Dorris-  I have seen a lot of this too.  I think our current society has erased a lot of the support systems that helped people to deal with everyday crisises in their lives.  Time is seen as such a valuable commodity, and no one seems to have much to spare.  By the time someone gets a chance to speak to another human being about their situation, a lot of the emotion has either left their awareness, or  they have overanalyzed it all.  Often people, myself included, look for a quick reply to their obvious angst, so that they can proceed in their own day and accomplish the necessary tasks of the moment.  Often, people settle for relationships that are more like gripe sessions - I'll tell you my grief, then you tell me yours.  Another factor complicating the development of true friendships is the  current working situation that many find themselves in.  Companies either move their workers around constantly, or lay off workers to minimize their budget constraints.  This makes for many short-term contacts - not a good place to develop sustained relationships.  People turn to therapists or ministers, priests or rabbis for counselling, but this is a one-sided relationship, because the counsellor doesn't share his or her information with you.  The end result is that people become surrounded by lots of" shoulds " or "musts", but don't really  change their situation, because it must come from a place within themselves to really mean something to them.  Families and neighbors used to give us these long-term relationships to foster self-awareness, but, sadly, a lot of these contacts are lacking in the fast-paced modern world.  I think we need to develop communities again.  Children will see examples of adults making healthy decisions in their lives, and follow their examples.  We could all stop "spinning our wheels", so to speak, in self-destructive activities.                        Leslie

I had an outrageous cell phone bill and asked about 3x if I could change my rate plan and was told "not until the full balance was paid" that they could not access a change. So, I got futher and further behind. In January I finally got assistance from a wonderful telephone rep, willing to help me. We changed it and made it more affordable.By then ,I was laid off and really falling behind. It seemed  too  late. I called today and paid my balance requesting a credit for the inconvienence of service and was very calm ,very positive beforehand and prayed for a rep who would meet my needs. I got a $75 credit! I was told yesterday I may have to pay a deposit to have it turned back on! After 13 years with the same company I explained my overall satisfaction and got exactly what I intended. I did not losr faith last eve,. rather waited until 2day to call back and also had a prayer cloth over my bill asking for the right rep who was willing to help. God is Good! I am very Happy!