The Vicar's Letter (written by Reverend Joy Cousans, Vicar of St Mary's Church in Eaton Bray) has been appearing in the villages Focus magazine since June 2017
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Vicar's Letter

October 2017

Reverend Joy Cousans, vicar of the Church of St Mary The Virgin, Eaton Bray with Edlesborough.

When I was young I had a poetry book which was all about happiness. The poem began: 'Where does happiness come from? What makes happiness start? How does it come out of nowhere and into a person's heart?' It then went on to suggest diff erent ways in which happiness is generated. What is the secret of happiness? This is a question which humankind has been asking for generations.

Marcus Buckingham, whilst he was a researcher for the polling group Gallup, asked thousands of women a series of questions to discover the answer. The women polled came from a range of backgrounds- rich and poor, working, retired and full time Mums. He was intrigued to find from their responses that happiness for them was not linked to actual circumstances but was more about attitude.

Frederick William Harvey was a prisoner of war during the First World War. Whilst in the Holzminden camp in Germany, he wrote the humorous poem, 'Ducks'. His whimsical observations were prompted by discovering a fellow inmate had drawn a picture of ducks in a pool of water at the camp. He discovered beauty and humour even in the most difficult of circumstances.

'All God's jokes are good-even the practical ones!
And as for the duck, I think God must have smiled a bit
Seeing those bright eyes blink on the day he fashioned it.
And he's probably laughing still at the sound that came out of its bill!'
(Extract from 'Ducks' F.W.Harvey)

Taking delight in the natural world and the wonder of the moment is something which Christian teachers of prayer have advocated for centuries. The theory is that if we take time each day to notice the present moment rather than worrying about the past or fretting over the future, we will be more content. So, to go for a walk and notice the wonderful array of colours in the fallen leaves is a moment of wonder. A few moments sitting and listening to a favourite piece of music without doing anything else can be uplifting. Appreciating the aroma of a meal cooking, or relishing the feeling of getting into a warm and comfortable bed at the end of a busy day can be moments of delight.

All these are small instances which can easily be missed if we are too busy to take notice. And yet, they only take a few minutes of our time to appreciate them. That has a knock on eff ect of helping us feel more thankful for all the good things we enjoy. And this in its turn makes us feel happier and enables us to have a more positive approach to life. Cherishing the moments when we are happy helps us to face the times when it is very difficult to rejoice.

When people came to Jesus he taught them to trust in God. 'This is why I tell you not to be anxious about food and drink to keep you alive and about clothes to cover your body. Surely life is more than food, the body more than clothes. Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow and reap and store in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than the birds? Can anxious thought add a single day to your life?' (Matthew chapter 6 verses 25-27)

The Lord's Prayer also encourages us to take each day one at a time, to give thanks for what we have, to ask God for what we need and to trust in him. Perhaps that really is the secret of true happiness!

Every blessing,

Joy (Vicar of Eaton Bray with Edlesborough)

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About the Vicar's Letter

The Vicar's Letter has been appearing in the villages Focus magazine since August 2002.

The Rev. Peter Graham also used to publish The Vicar's Letter in the parish magazine of 1964. Please see the area for these.