indisguise, this is a great topic! thanks for starting it. sitara, it is nice to hear that you walked away from such an insane accident in the condition that you did. i was in a similar accident back in 97, in that the car rolld over onto the roof and i had to crawl out through the window. the people who had stopped were freaking out and they were all anxious, asking me if i was okay and everything. i said i was fine and when i looked down, there was a tiny cut on my pinky finger from the shattered glass. and that was all.... rein, i too understand the feeling of complete joy and relief to know that your mom has had a successful operation and that she will be healthy again. as indisguise pointed out, there are HUGE happinesses and small happinesses. my last moment of complete happiness came last week. i decided to sponsor the education of a young nepali girl through a non-profit called educate the children. now that my peace corps days are over, it is hard to feel like i am making a difference. but when i decided to help provide better educational opportunities for my new bahini, my heart felt good. and i know what i am doing for her and her family will help them and will make a difference. there are few joys greater than the one of giving to others.