The Sixth Happiness

My Christmas letter, 2003....... this is still my wish for my family and friends in 2008.

Not long ago, I awakened in the middle of the night and was unable to get back to sleep. I turned on the television, hoping it would lull me back to dreamland. I paused the remote control at the beginning of the movie, “The Inn of the Sixth Happiness” starring Ingrid Bergman. My channel surfing stopped, and I was wide awake, instead of getting sleepy as I had intended.

A Christmas memory flooded my consciousness, and I was 10 years old, sitting in the Decatur theater with my father. It was Christmas afternoon. All the gifts had been opened, Christmas dinner eaten, and dishes done. Daddy had told me to get my coat, we were going to see a matinee together! As I watched the movie this night from the comfort of my middle-of- the-night bed, I remembered the Decatur theater, seeing this movie with Daddy. The smell of buttery popcorn mingled with the musty velvet of the theater curtains and seats, the feel of a silk scarf placed carefully across the back of my seat so that I wouldn’t catch ringworm, the wonderful story unfolding on the large movie screen, the scent of Daddy’s Aqua Velva aftershave, and the special feeling of sharing an afternoon with my father, were as real to me as they had been that long-ago Christmas afternoon.

I remembered the movie and the beautiful Ingrid Bergman. As I watched, the story I had viewed as a child unfolded and I became caught up in the drama of the young missionary woman who traveled to China, believing that God was leading her there for a special purpose. She faced one obstacle after another, but she never faltered in her faith, and she wouldn’t let anyone stop her from pursuing the mission she believed to be her calling from God. It was a tale of adventure, a story of unconditional love, a saga of a woman accomplishing what no man of her day believed she could. But most of all, it was an unveiling of the Sixth Happiness in her life as she ministered to the people of China during an era of great change and challenging times. Tears filled my eyes, both from the emotional story and from the warm memory of that Christmas afternoon with Daddy.

And so it is, in the spirit of Christmas and with respect for the ancient Chinese blessing of Five Happinesses, I have adapted them for my Holiday greeting to my family and friends. As we celebrate Christmas, my gift to you is my desire and prayer for:
Long Life
Good Fortune
Benevolence and Tranquility
Prosperity
Good Health
Most of all, may you discover the Sixth Happiness, which is unique to you and your life. Whatever it is that gives you passion for living and makes your life whole is your personal Sixth Happiness. Embrace it!

May the love of family and friends, the warmth of home, and the promises of each new day be with you this Christmas and in the New Year!