Saturday, October 22, 2011

Ada: In Pursuit of Happiness

* Ada Strong is my deceased great-grandmother. These words are her own and are taken directly from her personal history.

As I recall, I always liked my name of "Ada"--short, old-fashioned, and spelled the same backwards and forwards. This goes back to my little-girl days in Wyoming when I spent many happy hours with...a huge dictionary which we owned. This dictionary contained a section on "Names and Their Meanings." I was always pleased to find my name, "Ada," right at the very front of the big book--and the meaning was very special to me. It said, "Ada-happiness, otherwise rich gift." Birthstones and their meanings were also listed in that big book. My May birthstone is the Emerald--and that, too, was for "happiness." These two things stood out vividly in my mind and I'm sure they had a profound effect on me. And then, one of my favorite and first-learned scriptures is 2 Nephi 2:25..."men are, that they might have joy." I have felt that the pursuit of happiness is a gift of God to mankind--the kind of joy and happiness that is found in righteous and worthwhile living. I have always been thankful that I have a capacity for happiness and a grateful heart. I count as treasures beyond price my family and the gospel.

STRONG WOMEN CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY

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