Happiness is not a possession to be prized; it is a quality of thought, a state of mind. (Daphne du Maurier, 20th century English author and playwright)
Perhaps because of our childhood experiences, we have come to think that being happy is like having a gift—something wrapped in a box with a bow on it. We can open it whenever we’re sad and need to be encouraged. As we mature, however, we realize that happiness is not something we own but a quality we develop by living well and doing good.
So that it may always go well with you and your children after you . . . be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God (paraphrase of Deuteronomy 12:28).