Happiness Is

Happiness is seeing Katherine smiling in bed with a pile of Sam’s photos on her lap. The framed one of him in his Baylor band uniform was especially good looking, and now it and the others are over on her bookshelf where she can see them from her bed. Sam’s girl friend’s mother had been down to Waco to see her daughter Anna, and she brought the photos over when she came to visit Katherine and report on the Texas visit.

Happiness is the relief on Brian and Mary Ellen’s faces knowing harvest was good and is all done for another year. Now they are ready to enjoy Brian’s mother’s visit from Arizona. And Mary Ellen and Brianna are ready to travel up to Freeport to see niece and cousin Cecelie in Beauty and the Beast.

Happiness is not one new job but two for grandson Trent. One at the college—something to do with computers and the Internet, which is what he is studying and excelling in. (You can tell by my vagueness how little I understand this new age we live in.) The other job is at the theater, and I know how much Trent enjoys and understands the film world, so I like thinking about his getting to be in the theater with the new films. I do not see Trent much now; and with two jobs plus college classes, I can expect to see him even less, but I am so proud of his ambition and hard work.

Happiness for my son Gerry is and has always been tramping in the fields with a bird dog. Right now he is training newly acquired dogs and loving it. Lots of other things make him happy too, but this bird dog hobby lets him be outside enjoying autumn. Adding a grandson or so to the mix even makes his pleasure greater.

Happiness for Gerald has always included being useful and working hard for others. As always, he is doing just that. I appreciate that he has time to pitch in and help me with little things more than when he spent long hours working at the barns or in the fields.

Happiness for all of us has been knowing Gerald’s youngest brother Keith is feeling better under the care of DuWayne’s doctor. When a Glasco brother is too sick to meet up with the others for breakfast, it is concerning. His brother Garry also was recently unable to meet others for breakfast. Garry’s family has had a flurry of hurt ankles: Vera’s broken in a car wreck, Vicki Sue hurt for awhile from a trip and fall, and Kerry out of commission the remainder of the harvest season when he broke his ankle so severely that the doctor warned he must not do anything or he might mess up those pins. So Garry came out of retirement and finished harvest! But this week on Tuesday, Gerald was able to go down to the Jonesboro restaurant to meet his brothers and nephews and be spoiled by the sweet waitress there. He came home in a very good mood.

Happiness is having a grandchild in the house. Leslie and Mike arrived at Woodsong from Nashville on their way to Freeport to see Cecelie’s show but also to pick up a new car in Madison. They will be leaving, Leslie hopes, by 6 in the morning, but it is nice to have them sleeping here tonight.

Happiness for me has always been when I know my loved ones are content and enjoying what life brings them. And there has been a lot of that lately. There has been a lot of difficulties too, of course, but happiness is dwelling on the good things and being grateful.