True happiness is found in those moments when your young three-year-old son helps you to mow the lawn with his little toy lawn mower, or when that same son tells you that he loves you after he had been telling you that he hated you for making him go to bed. It’s when your wife gives you that hug of appreciation for being a good father and husband. It’s the realization of how much your little girl reminds you of your wife, and how thankful you are to be the man in their life who has the opportunity to provide for them and to protect them. It’s the struggles with money, followed by the appreciation for the simple things in life that don’t involve money. It’s the stress, followed by appreciation; it’s the hard times, followed by the good times, where you then appreciate the good times more fully because of the fact that you endured through the hard times without running to the escape. It’s the belief system that God is protecting you and your family.
It’s the slow summer Sunday afternoon spent with the family out working and playing in the yard, where you stop often to appreciate the beautiful day, even thanking God for such a day and the way of life that He has led you and your family to live. It’s the sunburn on your son’s face that he got from running in the sprinklers. It’s the family prayer at night before bed, and it’s the personal prayer in the morning where you ask God to watch over and protect the ones you love. It’s the getting up in the middle of the night with your little girl when she’s had a bad dream. It’s the working together with your wife in growing your little family. It’s teaching your kids the importance of staying away from the bad things of this world and how to use God in their life so that they can experience for themselves the full, abundant life—never having to experience the dark way of life as you once have.
It’s the moments when true joy is whispered into your mind, advancing overwhelming thoughts of gratitude that lead to a growth of your soul. These are the high moments that can only be captured in the sober life.
