Happiness is...

....home.  I love the cosy little home that I share with G, the love of my life.  Both of us moved around a lot as children and teenagers and since we were married.  Before G built this house and we moved in, neither of us had lived in one place for more than 10 years.  We've lived in this home for just over 23 years.  A lot of people would say that it's in "the boonies", but that's exactly where I want to be, surrounded by nature.  I love walking out my door into the forest, which is what I did this morning.  The silence was incredibly peaceful and restorative, Shinrin-yoku at its best.
We're so lucky to have a roof over our heads, generally good health, clean water, enough to eat, enough of everything actually, and content in knowing that enough is enough and not wanting more.  So many people lack the basics in life, and this time of year can be especially difficult for them.  A friendly smile and hello, a conversation, a few bucks for a meal, a contribution to a food bank - anything that can make life even a tiny bit more bearable is always appreciated.
We're thinking of our good friends' young grandson who has cystic fibrosis and has had a bit of a setback.  He's been hospital in Toronto for the past few days. His mum sent us an email this morning saying that there's been some improvement.  He likely won't be home for Christmas.  Very stressful for all of them.
Extra:  our daughter sent a photo of (l-r) Marky, Kalyn, Santa, Krista and Dan from a light display that they went to last night.  Happiness is also family, but since we won't be with them at Christmas, I'm happy to share this photo.