Healthy, Happy, and Safe

Husband Joe and I are blessed with 4 nieces, 1 nephew, and 1 to-be-determined May 1st. I often tell people that if you want to find one of our family members, just travel from Minneapolis to Chicago on 94--there is someone about every two hours. Because of this we don't see all of our nieces very often. However, we are able to spend a lot of time with our niece Faith and new nephew, Jakob, since they live on the part of 94 closest to us here in MN.

The other day I was at my parent's place (also off 94) with Faith and she wanted a banana for a snack. If you know anything about my family, you know we like our bananas. And while eating said banana, Faith says through a mouth-full of mush that only a 5-year old makes cute, "I eat bananas so I can be healthy, happy, and safe". No doubt she has heard this phrase from someone (probably her awesome mother, Melissa), but isn't it true? Shouldn't we all just want to be healthy, happy, and safe?

As I think about the new year, I think about Faith's theory on life. I want to spend 2009 healthy--which means I workout and eat right, and pray that no disease comes my way I can battle against. I want other people that I know that are currently battling those diseases or who I get caringbridge.org updates from to be healthy, too.

I want to spend 2009 happy. There are a million things in this world that make me happy: A well-prepared dinner (obviously prepared by Joe and not me), an e-mail from a distant friend, date night with Husband Joe, an Uno game marathon with a niece, the opportunity to teach my favorite book to a group of curious teenageers, family gatherings, and nights out with the girls---plus so much more. And I want others to find what makes them happy and just be happy.

And safe. I want to spend 2009 safe. I want to find a house and a neighborhood that will protect my family. I want to trust that when I go to work each day that I don't have to worry about someone jeopardizing my safety or the safety of others. I want to spend 2009 knowing that our world, while a little unstable at times, is overall the safest it has ever been.

Faith has it right--all we need in life is to be "healthy, happy, and safe". So here's to 2009: being healthy, happy, and safe!