My stepdaughter read my last Letter to the Editor and said to me, “It’s good but why don’t you write a happy letter instead of politics?” Most of my days, weeks and years are happy, so here is my happy letter.

God is first, my family and friends are second and I am third. I am borrowing from Gale Sayer’s beliefs and his wildly popular book, from my childhood, “I Am Third,” which then became the movie “Brian’s Song.”

Inviting God into one’s life will, I believe, bring blessings to you and your family throughout your life. God knows what we need and will provide the stimulus to provide us with what we need. On the other hand, we may know what we want but often do not know what we need. Garth Brooks famously penned, “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers” and that is because God know what we need and may not answer your selfish prayers. The Rolling Stone’s sing a very apropos lyric, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find you get what you need.” If you accept God, he will provide the stimulus to get you what you need, although you will still have to “try sometimes!”

Family and friends are second — in my humble opinion, family and friends make the world go around. We received our first grandson into our family last August and he is the latest catalyst that brings families together and bring smiles to everyone’s face. Six related families came together for the Easter weekend at our house and the world sure went around at the house (like a cyclone) but it sure was fun. My friends are spread throughout the country and every time we see one another, it’s as if we live next door. Good friends do anything and everything for each other, and we are very blessed to have many good friends.

I am third. By putting God, family and friends ahead of myself, my life has been elevated to the top as well.