A Christmas Wish

Michele Obama is quoted: "I own my own happiness."
   How very appropriate --- in a world of fearing to not be politically correct, in a world where we are poised to blame someone else for our unhappy circumstances, in a world in which we are pummeled by advertising that THIS car or THAT electronic gadget will make us happy, in a world where we are so often fooled to believe another person will bring me the happiness I seek, in a world where we blame "God" for the joys and sufferings we experience, here is a contemporary statement which registers the power of faith and the fruit of responsibility. No one, no thing, no god outside of myself can make me consistently happy.
  True happiness comes from the heart, from the soul, where I meet the Source of All Being (the one, true God) in the center of my being. Only in God is my soul at rest -- Only in God can I know true happiness. Then, whatever comes into my life from the world, whether a joy or a trial, I will be able to deal with it with the strength of the Spirit Who lives in me.
Few are the Americans who have reached the promise of "the pursuit of happiness." But the more who do, the more will this great land be the true refuge for those seeking freedom of expression and the pursuit of happiness.
  This is my Christmas, Holiday wish for all of you --- That you will own your own happiness in 2012. Do not depend on others or on material things. Your happiness depends on your own attitude  - an attitude of gratefulness, an attitude of forgiveness, an attitude of wonder and of faith. Remember who you are: You live in God, and God lives in you - you are a child of the Most High - live as such.

Thank you, Mrs. Obama.