And we did live after the manner of happiness . . .

In the Book of Mormon, Nephi listed several of the activities (2 Nephi 5) that he and his people were doing and summed up their lives with “...(we) lived after the manner of happiness.” (2 Nephi 5:27)

This is Nephi’s outlook even though he and his family were told to “...flee into the wilderness...” and start a new community to save their lives. They weren't popular or safe.

I love Nephi’s list. I agree with Nephi’s list. I want to share Nephi’s list. I think it's useful to anyone that wants to incorporate more happiness into their lives.

For the next few weeks, I'll post Nephi's insights along with a comment and picture about how that behavior has also brought me happiness.

homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers on homemade bread

chickens eating the  wormy broccoli that's gone to seed

a favorite picture from the archives:  Atlas feeding the chickens

another favorite picture from the archives:  Zeph and Altas feeding the cows

we even grow our own mousers

Raising animals and growing a garden

2 Nephi:11  And the Lord was with us; and we did prosper exceedingly ; for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in abundance.  And we began to raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind.

Gardening and raising animals is good for the soul.  There is nothing like giving your chickens scraps and coming back later for an egg.  It's recycling at its best.

Gardening and animals not only provide food, but chores for children to learn to work, and opportunities for them to learn the law of the harvest and that they reap what they sow.  A garden with animals was where Heavenly Father put Adam and Eve to help them learn and grow.

I remember one gardening experience we had.  We were growing it with my sister's family.   It stretched between our homes. Both families worked and worked on the new garden spot.  We planted, watered, hoed, and waited.  We fasted and prayed for the garden's success.  We not only needed chores, we needed the food to stretch our incomes.  It was a most pathetic garden.  It was planted in once-sterilized soil and was struggling to grow.  

One day as I walked by that garden on the way to my sister's home, I prayed asking God why He hadn't blessed it, after all, we'd done our part.  I got a sweet rebuke, "You should have seen it if I hadn't blessed it."

Though that garden wasn't pretty, it produced like no other before or since.  The frost was uncharacteristically late that year and the beans produced enough for three families to eat and can all they wanted.  The corn did the same.  

When the Lord blesses us, be it with beans or chickens or a cat that has eight kittens, we prosper exceedingly and find joy and happiness.  I'm certain of it.