Happiness

What is happiness? When this question comes to my mind, I always get stuck and have to ponder over it. It’s a simple question but it has various answers to it depending on different people who look at “happiness” from different angles. Happiness is certainly not born from nature. No matter whom we are and what religion we belong to, the purse of happiness is our lifetime goal. To me, one of the most important elements of happiness is being with my family.

Family is the warmest harbor for people especially for whom travels far away from home. Regardless of what we have been suffered from the outside world, family is always there for us and cures the wounds in our hearts with unconditional love. We can feel secure and content when we are at home with our family. Being with our parents, we get the courage to overcome any hardship.

Family is the soul power for us to pursue our happiness. Maintaining a good relationship with our family can bring us happiness. Whatever merits or shortcoming, family always appreciates what we really are, tolerate our mistakes, and encourage us to achieve our goals. When I was in a middle school of China, I failed to get in the honor class that I wanted to because I did poor in the placement test. I felt very disappointed and depressed during those days. It was my father who pulled me out of the miserableness. I still remembered that my father took me out for a walk one day. The entire way, my father talked to me earnestly and sincerely, and he said: “gold will always be shinning.” At that moment, I felt that I was filled with strength and had gained the courage to stand up once again. My father made me think of the bright side and search for a new starting point. Also, through my father’s encouragement and enlightenment, I had gained happiness. In the movie Lilo and Stitch, it says, “Family means no one leaves behind”. I still remembered those days when my family just immigrated to the United States. Everything was new and strange for us; we struggled to learn everything occurred in our daily lives. My sister and I tried our best to learn English; my father exerted himself to memorize the road signs and the bus route so that he can commute by bus; my mother strived to understand the problems addressed to her when she went to see the doctor. Those memories were bittersweet. However, what we learn from the bad experience is that family means everything to us. Being with our family, the bitter becomes sweet, the desert becomes oasis, and the sadness becomes happiness.