I am happy when I am around people I love and care about, when I spend time with them getting lunch, or coffee, stealing cars in a game of "GTA," or watching an episode of "Scooby Doo." I love talking with them and talking about everything that is going on in their lives and what they have planned for the weekend or upcoming vacations. I am happy when I have coffee. My friends think it is weird to get coffee so much, but it tastes so good!

I am happy when I go to the beach. I love the sound of children squealing with delight as they jump over the white-capped waves that slap onto the beach. I love seeing people walking, dogs running, and people of all ages watching the ever-changing power of the ocean. The sound of seagulls remind me of home; the miles of rocky beaches in Maine.

I am happy when I listen to Spanish music. Spanish culture makes my heart happy and my feet want to dance when I hear Latino music on Spotify. The language amazes me and how beautiful and romantic it sounds when you roll the "R" on your tongue. Though I have not visited many Hispanic countries, it makes me excited to think that I will be able to travel to one in the future. They are so kind and hospitable that I am just itching to get out of the U.S. to see a different culture of humility and subtle amazingness.

I am happy when I see snowflakes. The white flurries that swirl with the wind drift over my head and land on the overhanging branches. It is a wonder that nature and God could make something so beautiful and delicate in the form of precipitation. It sticks like glitter to clothes whether we like it or not and it is there and gone in seconds, like a phantom. It makes me feel so small inside and happy when I see the blue sky against the pure white, newly fallen snow in the morning. The feeling of being in this environment is so beautiful.

I am cozy in my dorm and child-like when I curl up and watch "Pride and Prejudice" for the 100th time, like a kid watching Saturday morning cartoons religiously. I am also cozy when I am watching my favorite TV show, "Downton Abbey," with my friends while enjoying a mug of hot tea. I am at home when I am with my friends: we play card games, go shopping (pretty much every weekend), stake our claim on the TV so we can watch our weekly program, and go rock climbing/exercising.

I am comforted by the fact that God loves me. I wake up and have people to see during the day and live to make them laugh and smile! Gordon College is my home and I am comforted to know that I have a great social group here, and friends that are like family. I am thankful for the outings that we have and the jokes we share in all of the unorthodox adventures we go on.

When do you feel happy? Are you happy when you grab a spoon and dive into a pint of Ben and Jerry's? Or excited when you see free samples at the grocery store that aren't the "12 and under cookies?" Or maybe when you go to Goodwill and find brand-new fabulous articles of clothing for dirt cheap?

"Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4.

I always feel happy when I think about how God gives us the happy times and the exciting moments in our lives. He gives us the people we get out of bed for each day and the beautiful sceneries, places, faces and events that keep us going. Without the people that motivate us, we would just be an empty shell with nothing that has affected our being and taught us how to live. This is why God created Eve after Adam: he needed someone to bring him joy and happiness.

I am happy that I am alive and bring smiles to my friends, and that they, in return, give me life.