Happy Times

Bloganuary Prompt #17: Describe the happiest day of your life.

I have lived many moons and many winters. I would be what others would call the fall season of my life. Each year and season brought times of happiness. To say there is one day that is my happiest would not be possible.

As a child, one of my happy days was when I purchased my first horse at the age of nine from my fourth grade teacher. My dad told me I needed to look at a horse before finalizing the deal, something I carry with me even today. Or was the happiest day when my family went to the county fair, and dad took me to the horse races. Watching the horse walk past the stands, their coats gleaming in the sun. The tension waiting for the gate to open, then a rush of horses as they raced to the finish line. Or perhaps when I graduated from high school at the age of sixteen. I was not valedictorian, but I did lead the pledge of allegiance, my first speaking event.

Then comes the season of motherhood. I have four children. Each child born filled my heart with love and joy. How can I determine which one made me happier than the other? Watching them, guiding them as they grew. Each one made me proud. Their graduations were happy occasions covered with parental pride.

Years go by. Children are grown. Then the grandchildren start joining our family. I have fifteen grandchildren living. Each one’s arrive was a time of celebration and joy. How does one determine which one made you happier than the other?

My life has been filled with happy moments. Children graduating from high school then college. Marriages and grandchildren. Birthdays and Christmases.

One happiest day I do not have. A lifetime filled with happy moments I do possess.

amtolle