Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Grow Mama Grow

Home
About
Contact
All Posts
- Islamophobia and The Prophets: What We Can Learn
- Is Islamophobia a Reality at School? How to Talk to Your Kids About It
  - There’s a Used Condom on My Door Handle: Hate Crimes and the Burden of Proof

Home
Muslim
What Makes You Happy

What Makes You Happy

Last updated on: November 25, 2010 at 6:21 pm by Marwa Aly

What Makes You Happy 2010-11-25T18:21:48-04:00 Marwa Aly

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I recently posed the question to my third grade students, “What makes you happy?” Anticipating answers such as, “my D.S.” or “silly bands”, I was surprised when they each answered something money couldn’t buy. “My family”, “watching the sunset”, “being with friends”, and “when my parents are proud of me”, were among the replies I received. I was impressed. So impressed in fact, that I decided we would write and publish a class book about what makes us happy. It also got me thinking of my own personal life and what makes me feel happy. So I started a list.

Of course, my list included going on vacations, eating out, and renovating my home. But once I felt my list was long enough, I went back and crossed out anything that can only be obtained with money. Looking at my edited list, I smiled at what I saw. My son’s laugh, my mother’s embrace, simply my husband’s presence, and my family’s health is what brings true happiness and contentment.

I put my list away, to come back to later, and took my son out to play in the yard. I decided not to take any of his toys out, and he didn’t seem to mind. I think he loved the acorns and leaves more than his $400 toy car. We chased each other and played on the cool grass until we got tired and hungry. We each took a warm bath and put on some cozy pajamas. Alhamdulela for warmth. As I was preparing dinner, my husband drove up the driveway and opened the garage. My son heard the garage door opening, and squealed with happiness. He slid down the stairs to greet his father. “Baba!” he called, as he threw himself into his father’s arms.

In this busy world, it’s not always easy to take the time to think about what to do for others, or as importantly, for yourself to obtain happiness. Or, we may know what makes us happy but don’t take the time to make it happen or thank Allah for giving it to us. It’s so easy to take things for granted.

So go on, make a list. What makes you happy?

Hoda

Hoda is a wife and a mother to a stillborn daughter in heaven and a one year old son. She is an elementary public school teacher and lives in Virginia.

Normal

false

MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Motherhood Reflections

Previous Post

November 22, 2010

Picking Apart a Pomegranate

Next Post

November 29, 2010 Babysitting

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book and Movie Reviews Community Connecting with Allah Counselor's Corner Environment fatherhood five stars GrowBaba Spotlight GrowMama Picks Growmama Roundup Health Light Fare marriage Motherhood Reflections moving Parenthood Photography Poems Schooling Self-development tragedy Tutorials Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 November 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the rainbow a sign of in the flood story?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Famine God's promise Danger War