Faith
There's this salesman, he knocks on a door. The man who answers says: " I don't need anything today"
The next day, the salesman returns.
" Stay away," The man told.
The next day, the salesman is back
The man yells, " you again! I warned you!" he get so angry, he spits in the salesman's face

The salesman smiles, wipes the spit with a handkerchief, then looks to the sky and says "Must be raining"

That's what faith is. If they spit in your face, you say it must be raining. But you still come back tomorrow.

Happiness
So, have we solved the secret of happiness?
"I believe so," he said.
Are you going to tell me?
"Yes, Ready?"
Ready
"Be satisified."
That's it?
"Be grateful."
That's it?
"For what you have. For the love you receive. And for what God has given you."
That's it?
He looked me in the eye. Then he sighed deeply.
"That's it."

The Lesson
"When a baby comes into the world, its hands are clenched, right? Like this?"
He made a fist.
"Why? Because a baby, not knowing any better, wants to grab everything, to say,
"The whole world is mine."
"But when an old person dies, how does he do so? With his hand open. Why? Because he has learned the lesson."

What lesson? I asked.

He stretched open his empty fingers.

"We can take nothing with us."

Marriage & Commitment
"I think people expect too much from marriage today," he said. "They expect perfection. Every moment should be bliss. That's TV or movies. But that is not the human experience. Like Sarah says, twenty good minutes here, forty good minutes there, it adds up to something beautiful. The trick is when things aren't so great, you don't junk the whole thing. It's okay to have argument. It's okay that the other one nudges you a little, bothers you a little. Its part of being close to someone."
"But the joy you get from that same closeness -- when you watch you children, when you wake up and smile at each other -- that, as our tradition teaches us, is a blessing. People forget that"

Why do they forget?

"Because the word "commitment" has lost its meaning. I'm old enough to remember when it used to be positive. A committed person was someone to be admired. He was loyal and steady. Now a commitment is something you avoid. You dont want to tie yourself down."

"It's the same with faith, by the way, We dont want to get stuck having to go to services all the time, or having to follow all the rules. We don't want to commit to God. We'll take Him when we need Him. or when things are going good. But real commitment? That requires staying power --- in faith and in marriage."

And if you don't commit? I asked.
"Your choice. But you miss what's on the other side."
What's on the other side?

"Ah." He smiled.

"A happiness you cannot find alone"