Harvesting The Happy

Dear friends and family and strangers,

This is probably a crude way of telling some of you this, but I don't feel like it should be a secret... I am getting divorced.

My sweet sister flew down last week, helped me pack up what we could, and then drove with me through the desert back to my mountain home. Despite my best efforts, my faith, my prayers, my tears, my blind eye, my optimism, my love, my eagerness, my willingness, and my all... my marriage didn't last even a year.

I have mixed emotions about it all, but overall I am feeling okay. I don't have any regret. I don't blame myself, I don't blame my soon to be ex-husband, and I don't blame God. It's just life.

I think what I like most about life is that it's surprising, and that it changes whether you want it to or not. I think the reason it's like that is because we all need to learn that happiness isn't contingent on what or who you have in your life.

I'm going to share with you a couple lines from my patriarchal blessing, which may be a little un-orthodox to do in this blogging world... but they are words that often pop into my mind and make me grateful and happy; I think it's appropriate to share them. It says "Whitney, recognize that this world, in spite of its imperfections, evils and corruptions, is also a garden of happiness and joy that our Father in heaven has created. He has given you power to understand and draw from its wonderful gifts."

Isn't that absolutely lovely? This garden of happiness and joy has been created for all of us. And I think everyone can have this power. In spite of my imperfections, in spite of what falls apart around me... this life is still a garden of happiness and joy. I don't know a single person that doesn't struggle in some way, or doesn't have hardships of their own... I feel at peace knowing that even though I don't know what's coming, what will fall apart next, what bad decision I will make next, what tomorrow brings, or even where I will be living in a months time... that my life is intended to be a happy one. And that today is a happy day.