Finding Happiness in a World Full of Turmoil Requires Remembering Past StrugglesVIEWPOINT

is a lot going on right now – in my life, in my family’s life, this community, this state, our nation, and the world.

Fear is running rampant and divid- ing waves keep trying to break apart anyone and everyone.

I see this in my own personal life and in other areas on a much greater scale. I find myself wondering near- ly every day, “What do I do? What do we do? What would be the best thing right now? How do I/we move forward?

How do I face my fears head-on and overcome them?”

Here in the present, I am very much aware of my struggles, my fears, and my uncertainties. I am trying to look to the future with hope, with ideas, with confidence to make things better and to keep living life in the best way possible. In my ponderings and questions, I have found that too often I am missing one very important thing, and without this one thing, I risk great misstep and error in moving forward.

Remembering – this is the one thing that is so vital!

Do I remember what I have already been through in my life and do I see the evidence of my inner strength? Do I remember who I am behind all the lies I hear in my head about myself?

What about all the stories I have read and heard about those that have come before me? Do I remem- ber those stories and what I can learn from them?

Then there is the memory of my Grandpa. Do I take the time to remember him, and to picture the joy and hope that always sparkled in his eyes? Life, I’m sure, wasn’t easy for him and yet I always found him with a smile and a laugh.

How often do I pause and remem- ber what my father taught me? Do those lessons apply now? I bet most, if not all, of those lessons would help if I would remember them.

Have I forgotten what freedom really is and what was done in the past to secure that freedom? Am I willing to remember the cyclic patterns of history?

I am finding that remembering opens up a clearer view of the fu- ture, and when I choose to remem- ber, error and misstep don’t domi- nate my onward journey.

So here is a question for you, “What can you re-collect from the past to light the way before you and to give you the courage to take that next right step forward?” (Davis is a