WHY FAMILY MATTERS

The Star reached out to some local families to talk about what made them so happy in 2015

Erella and Celeste Ganon

Erella Ganon and her 22-year-old daughter, Celeste, are a close-knit family unit, which Erella is quick to emphasize as a major source of happiness in her life. But she also likes to think of family in a looser sense, extending to her siblings and their children, and even to others unrelated by blood. “Wandering around and thinking that everyone is my family fills me with joy,” she said. “It is like having a superpower. Every small connection or hug becomes more powerful that way.”

Rachel Gobin

Friday night is family night at the Gobins’ apartment on Dupont Street. They’ll watch Netflix over homemade pizza and savour their quiet moments of togetherness. “During the week it’s so hectic, so to just disconnect everything on a Friday afternoon is just so peaceful,” said Rachel Gobin, who lives with her husband Rainer and daughter, Sahana, who is 5. “The focus is family togetherness and family fun, forgetting the hubbub of the week and focusing on each other.”

Frederick Ferguson and Jini Jung

For Frederick Ferguson and his husband Jini Jung, it’s all about perspective. The pair has been together for 18 years, and each came to Canada as immigrants from the U.S. “We both feel that happiness is appreciating what you have,” said Ferguson. “If you can’t do that then it’s hard to imagine how you can ever be happy, regardless of how much you have.”

The Applebys

If happiness is a room at the Applebys’ house in Etobicoke, the key to get in is laughter. “We laugh. A lot,” said Danielle Appleby, who lives with her husband, Andrew, and their daughters, Juliette, 7, and Emelia, 3. “Andrew brings out the silly in us. He is a big kid,” she said. Rounding out the ingredients of their happiness are strength, a quickness to forgive and gratefulness for the life they share, Danielle said. “God has blessed us beyond our dreams and we are so grateful.”