Lasting Happiness is Only Found in Good Relationships

“And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad (son)?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son (dad)
You know we'll have a good time then”
Harry & Sandy Chapin, The Cat’s in the Cradle

In our world-- more often than not—the “then” Harry Chapin mentions above never happens. Little has changed since “The Cat’s in the Cradle” became a major hit song for Chapin back in the 1970s (His only Number One hit). Obviously, we’ve learned little from this song, despite its massive popularity. If there has been any change over the last 40 years, it’s been for the worse as America has solidly become a nation of workaholics.

The lyric to “The Cat’s in the Cradle” was actually written by Chapin’s wife, Sandy. In 1974, her lyric was masterful at displaying the fact that relationship values in American life had changed significantly since 1934. People in 1934 learned the hard way that they couldn’t depend on “things” to survive. They had to depend on solid relationships. By the 1970s, the emphasis was no longer on relationships, however. It had shifted back to “things:” To money and material possessions. Watching your children grow—and growing with them by sharing their experiences—was no longer important to many American parents. What became important was doing better than their parents had done in terms of prosperity: Having a bigger house, two cars, color TVs, grand vacations, et al.

For those who aren’t familiar with “The Cat’s in the Cradle,” the story tells us of a young father who is so busy working to provide the best for his family that he has no time to experience a good relationship with his newborn son. As the son grows, his father gets even busier. Work now dictates dad’s life. The son laments growing up without a father, while the father is always promising they’ll get together and have a good time “then”— a “then” or future that never comes until dad retires.

By the time of dad’s retirement, the son has grown up and he has patterned his life based on his father’s example. Living in an even busier world, the son finds he has no time for his own children, much less his father. So the son ends us making the same broken promises that his dad continually made to him. Sadly, they have never experienced life with each other and never will because money and having more things is the value of the day.

What do you value most in life? If the answer is money and more things, then you will never be happy because you will never have enough. If the answer is relationship, you will find eternal happiness. Happiness exists only within yourself. Happiness is having a good relationship with yourself and with those you love. There is no lasting happiness in having more money. Having more money or more things is about addictive happiness, which is an oxymoron. 

Today, take the time to experience true happiness by spending quality time with yourself and others, not with things. Make room for God to guide you. The more you experience good relationships, the happier you will be. And it will be a lasting happiness that will allow your soul to shine!

P.S.— Don’t wait until it’s too late. No one wants to look back with regret like the dad in “The Cat’s in the Cradle.”