I received an e-mail on Thursday, March 20th that has stayed with me.  The e-mail stated that March 20th was declared International Happiness Day and included the video of Pharrell Williams singing the song, Because I'm Happy from the movie Despicable Me 2.  I began to think back over the past year of my life when it all changed when I received a phone call from my sisters who live in Atlanta, GA. They told me that our mother was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer (she was given four months to live) and that she was in the hospital.  From the moment I received the news, my world changed and my happiness began to slowly slip away.

After spending months assisting my mother as she went through chemo treatments, losing my job, having to look for a place to live, packing and moving, and being emotionally bludgened by various family members, I reached a place where I thought that I would never know happiness again. Thankfully, that thought has disappeared and with it's disappearance a glimmer of happiness has returned.

While watching the video and seeing all types of people smiling and dancing with such joy and abandon, a seedling of happiness began to grow inside of me where depression and sadness had existed.  So, I asked myself; "What makes me happy?" The answer I told myself was simple: The process of creating something beautiful and contributing to making the planet a cleaner place to live makes me happy.  Wearing hats makes me happy.  Eating an icecream cone on a hot summer day puts a smile on my face and makes me happy.

So, I've included pictures of some hats that I've dressed up with flowers.

I collect used denim jeans that I take apart and remake them into usable, beautiful items.  My first attempt at making a coiled basket with denim and cotton clothes line is shown below:

Although this is a work-in-progress, I think I have been able to create something beautiful out of something ordinary by adding pieces of cotton crochet lace to this denim jacket. I intend to hand stitch some beads to add a bit of bling to the jacket.

So, my daily quest is to do something that puts a smile on my face, a song in my heart, and brings a bit of beauty into this world.