Making others happy makes us happy, too

I was talking to the small children in our worship service just before they went to their classes, and was telling them about my great-grandson and greatgranddaughter. I was taking them home and they were fussing with each other in the back seat, thankfully that they were strapped in their seat belts and couldn't get real close to each other.

Madi knows how to pull Marcus' chain ... and finally, Marcus said, "Papa, I'm never going to get married!" Then after a few moments, he said, "Well, I guess I will and I'll have a son and whenever he says he wants to get a toy, I'll take him to get the toy, because whatever makes him happy will make me happy." I knew I was being set up! But, as I thought about it, I realized how right he is - for the most part, doing for others and making them happy makes us happy.

"It is more blessed to give than to receive," is true, but there is generally a secondary motive for the simple fact that we get joy out of giving joy to others.

For example, Pandora has been an energetic spokesperson on behalf of foster children. The latest effort has been to collect children's books that can be used by the biological parents when they go to visit their children. The first goal was 1,000 books.

Mike Rodgerson, a teacher at Gulf Breeze Elementary School, suggested that collecting books would be a good project for his class. The book cache soon swelled to 3,500, and then 5,500 ... and now the goal is 10,000 books. Many of us have children's books that our children may have outgrown and we've wondered what in the world we would ever do with them. Wonder no more!!

Books may be dropped off at the Beach Community Church, or at Pandora's business at 698 E. Heinberg St., Suite 103 and 104, in Pensacola (behind McGuire's).

When we make others happy, we will be happy, too.