“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”  Franklin D. Roosevelt

Once upon a time, a real group called the Secret Society of Happy People decided to dedicate a day to the pursuit of happiness. Members of the society wanted to let happy feelings linger inside them every day. In 2000, the Secret Society of Happy People expanded the celebration to Happiness Happens Month in August.

Here at New Danville we don’t have to look far for moments of happiness. Not to say that we do not have problems or challenges; however, we believe in being joyful for both the little and big successes, and always with a spirit of gratitude.  As I think back over this hot, hot summer that will soon come to an end, I’m reminded of the many moments of happiness that I have recently experienced.

This summer has been a thrill to observe the creative efforts of our Wranglers in their classes.  The Blushing Beauties class learning to make their own personal spa products and wax candles squares was a moment of sheer happiness.  The excitement of all of the ladies wanting me to smell their creations was pure joy of a job well done.  Likewise, the art class learned to make beautiful works of art through swirl painting.  The simplicity of the task did not match the creative beauty of their finished product.  Truly inspiring. 

These are but two snapshots of “the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” Every day we at New Danville are reminded of this.  We’ve had a joyful summer and created great memories.  Whether the new Wranglers that attended the Summer Camp program, or the increased number of new Wranglers (110 as of this week!), we know that we are serving the needs of our community, creating opportunities to experience joy, and working as a team to achieve our goals. That is surely worth celebrating!

To all of our wonderful supporters and readers, just remember that happiness is right before our eyes.  All we have to do is look, or just drop by New Danville and experience the moments of happiness that will take you by surprise.