Happiness is.......

Happiness is going on the ferris wheel with your giggling son;
Happiness is looking for your beloved child on a spinning carousel;
Happiness is taking a 6-month old on a train ride even though she has no clue what's going on;
Happiness is screaming your heart out on a moving roller coaster with your kiddos;
Happiness is giving your child a shoulder to lean on when he gets a little insecure in the dark tunnel.

Happiness is simple, isn't it?

We took Jason to the Fantasy Fair this past Saturday which is an indoor amusement park on the west side of Toronto, right inside a shopping mall. Jason has extreme aversion to heat and the sun, so on a hot summer day like this (31C), we thought this was a brilliant alternative to the zoo or Ontario Place (even though Barney is performing live there!).

The first pleasant surprise upon arrival is that they actually offer a generous 50% discount to people with disabilities, and free admission for one escort. So we only had to pay $7.75 for two day passes.

We chose to hop on the choochoo train as our first ride because it is an easy ride with no spinning or bumping - a nice warm-up for the sensory system. But not long after I sat on the train with Jason's head on my shoulder, I started to have flashbacks of what was exactly 2 years ago, in the same park, except that Daddy was the one on the train with him, while I could only watch, sitting on a bench.....

Two summers ago, while I was still in the midst of cycles after cycles of chemotherapy, we sent Jason to a summer camp for children/youths with developmental disabilities for a week. That day was a field trip to Fantasy Fair and we decided we would join them on the school bus to keep him company. I still remember I was so weak that just looking at the ferris wheel would make me want to faint. Totally bald, I was wearing a hat, a pale complexion, and a fragile body. I was sitting on a bench most of the time, while watching Jason going on rides with his Daddy, feeling helpless.

A sudden surge of emotions made my eyes teary and I couldn't help but giving Jason a tight squeeze...as if I'd lose him if I did not. When you went through a near-death experience, you'd look at life with a whole new perspective. I know just how precious it is to be healthy, to be able to hold hands with my husband while pushing Jason's chair with our other hands. I was enjoying every moment of our time strolling along the park and the past has only made the presence all the more precious.

I climbed on every single ride Jason wanted to go - the spinning balloon, carousel, ferris wheel, roller coaster, and the train - my heart filled with contentment the whole day feeling fortunate, blessed, and grateful for everything in life.

Happiness is when you accidentally caught your reflection in the mirror, and found that you have been wearing a smile all along.
Happiness is tucking your son to bed, and to find him smiling in his dream.