Finding happiness in the small and simple things of life

In today's word it seems like we are programmed to think that we can only find happiness when we are doing something that is unique, expensive or popular by what is currently trending.  This week I was taught a lesson by my 6 year old granddaughter about finding true joy in a simple, yet mind expanding homemade creation. I saw in her the excitement that came through the imaginative process and the end result of making something yourself, even if it was just built from discarded cardboard boxes, a plastic milk carton and some pipe cleaners.  It all started with her desire to make a rocket ship.  Seeing an empty milk container sitting on the counter the creative juices started flowing in her brain.  As I cut out a door in the container, she began listing all of the things that a rocket ship required - a steering wheel, a circuit board, levers, a remote control, etc. As she would mention each new requirement, she would use her imagination to find and build each item using cardboard, buttons, small toys or anything else she could find around the house.  She pulled the perfect sized boxes out of the recycle bin and covered them with construction paper and seemed to know exactly how everything should look and function.  As the project neared completion, she said over and over, "This is the best day ever" and could hardly wait for the official launch.  When the rocket was done she enthusiastically exclaimed that "this is the best rocket ship ever."  She placed the rocket on the launch pad and attached  the pipe cleaners, which were used to hold the rocket in place before liftoff and began the countdown.  When she finally reached zero she pushed the "button" on her cardboard remote control with the pipe cleaner antenna, yelled "blast off" and then grabbed the milk carton handle and flew the rocket ship throughout the living room saying over and over again, "This is the best day ever."  Most kids nowadays don't even know how to play with anything that does not contain a battery or a remote, but this sweet little girl found true happiness in her own imagination.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf talk entitled, "Happiness, Your Heritage"