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From Leslie Griffiths, Methodist Minister:

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Happiness, happiness, the greatest gift that I possess, I thank the Lord that I鈥檝e been blessed, with more than my share of happiness. The late Ken Dodd at his most ebullient. But can we believe him? Can anyone really be that up-beat? Isn鈥檛 it all too good and sugary to be true?

Cynics might say so but most of us can point to a moment of time when everything was in harmony, when all the lights turned green, and all seemed right with the world. I鈥檝e heard Ken Dodd鈥檚 song a few times over the last week and it鈥檚 triggered memories of the Sunday School trips we used to go on as kids 鈥� always to a fairground in Barry Island or Porthcawl or Tenby. Our tickle sticks were covered in clouds of candyfloss. The diddy men were our distorted selves as reflected in the Hall of Mirrors. The laughter came in bursts when we鈥檇 hit one of our teachers a true broadside with our dodgem car. We almost always came home with teddy bears or goldfish in plastic bags or even a coconut or two. And once we鈥檇 tumbled on to the bus at the end of the day, having raced one another for the back seats, we鈥檇 be singing at the top of our voices. 鈥淚鈥檓 H 鈥� A 鈥� P 鈥� P 鈥� Y, I know I am, I鈥檓 sure I am, I鈥檓 H 鈥� A 鈥� P 鈥� P 鈥� Y.鈥� And in that moment we certainly were.

There would be plenty of sadness or sorrow, tragedy or disappointment to come, of course, but nobody was thinking of that in our little moments of elation. Bliss was it indeed to be alive on days like that and to be young was very heaven.

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So, like Ken Dodd, I鈥檓 ready to count my blessings and thank God for every ounce of happiness I鈥檝e ever enjoyed in this bewildering world. But also, like him, I feel I want to look for opportunities to bring laughter and fun into the lives of the people I meet and to tell them how tickled I am to be able to do so.

Too sugary? You tell me.