Let us pray: Our Father and our God, on this day we give you thanks for all the blessings of our lives. In these moments, may we learn something about what it is for which we need to be most thankful. Lord, in these moments may we experience your mercy and your grace. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

A social psychologist by the name of David Myers has written a book titled The Pursuit of Happiness. The book has 59 pages of references and a 43-page bibliography. This large number of citations clearly demonstrates that many people have had much to say on that elusive subject called "happiness."

The central question that Dr. Myers poses is this one: Who is happy, and why are they happy? He then frames the question in a more detailed way: "What traits of personality, what circumstances of life…