Gratitude.

Do you stop long enough, often enough, to appreciate what makes you happy?

I find myself noticing, really noticing the little things that give me joy when I am looking through photographs. Sometimes, even if I’m the photographer, I don’t really get to see what I saw when I snapped the pictures.

Happiness is…seeing your children share a hug that was not prompted by you, but by receiving a favorite Christmas gift from the other.

Happiness is …having a good friend and neighbor who happens to be an amazing pastry chef.

Happiness is…knowing that Mr. & Mrs. Claus still love each other after all these years and sing a happy tune together.

Happiness is…watching cousins grow up together to become life long friends.

Happiness is…seeing a storybook creature like a reindeer up close and personal.

Happiness is…witnessing this reaction from your son after finding a Santa gift that (you heard) was on clearance. Joy has no price tag.

Happiness is…having your parents at your table for Christmas dinner knowing it is something you only see a few times a year because you live thousands of miles apart.

Happiness is…experiencing drama-free moments of calm and love between your girls when you know there have been moments of chaos and annoyance.

Thanks to my friend Lisa of Crazy Adventures in Parenting for sharing moments of happiness each Wednesday. I hope to join in as often as I can. What about you? What is happiness for you? Leave a link below to a blog post, Instagram photo, Twitter (#happinessis) or Facebook update, or simply tell me in your comments.  Keep coming back to leave your link to share, and don’t forget to click on a couple and like, retweet, and share the love and happiness with others.