Family Night Week 4: Choosing Happiness

I started out with this lesson's focus being choosing happiness.  Because, let's face it:  life is hard.  Sometimes it's really really hard.  And it is often very easy to feel defeated and just give up.  One of the ways that we decided our family could be more unified is by choosing to be happy instead of grumpy, regardless of life's circumstances.  So that was our topic this week.  But as I was preparing it, I also found a fair amount about being grateful in our circumstances as well...  And that happiness would naturally follow. 

So here's what our family night looked like tonight:

Choosing Happiness

Opening Song:  Count Your Blessings

Scripture:  Mosiah 18:21: And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another. {emphasis mine}

Lesson:  link gratitude and happiness.  We read excerpts from Pres. Uchtdorf's talk from April 2014 called "Grateful in Any Circumstance" and we also read a quote by Pres. Monson in this month's Ensign:  So much in life depends on our attitude.  The way we choose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference.  To do the best we can and then choose to be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be, can bring peace and contentment... We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.  For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude."

(I just happened to see that yesterday when I picked up the Ensign for January for the first time, and I know that was no coincidence!)


Activity:  cut out hearts and each of us said things for which we are grateful, which we wrote on the heart.  We earned jelly beans for each one, which was our treat.


Treat:  the jelly beans :).

 

And just because I have some really cute kids.... ;)....