

“Mommy, Can You Be Happy?” – A Confession and A Call to Fight for Joy
That stinging question hung heavy in the air. The weight of what she asked sank into skin, rushed into blood, and stopped me cold. “Mommy, can you be happy?” I was caught in a moment of visible anger, grumbling, impatience, and frustration. It oozed from me, grimy as the water from the dish rag I held. I hadn’t even noticed that while I stewed over some minor mishap, what was brewing within had become tangible. A foreboding cloud of discontent around me. Indeed, “from the lip