Pastor Garry, A popular minister in our town, just celebrated what I thought should be a joyous event.

After 12 years of a humongous effort, the congregation he established "from scratch" was able to move into its own church. For the past 12 years they were having services in a school auditorium while they built their church as they had money.Pastor Garry promised they would do it debt free and it took that long for it to happen. Finally, after many delays, the big day came. I'm really fond of the pastor and would have liked to cover the story when they had their first service in the new church. But I was away with my family so all I could do was read about it later in the newspaper.What surprised me was Pastor Garry's sermon topic for that grand occasion. If the paper reported it correctly, instead of talking about the joyous event, the charismatic pastor talked about how hard it is to be happy."It takes work to be happy," he said. "I force myself and push myself through faith to be happy."I haven't had to chance to talk with him about why he chose that topic. But knowing his past, I'm wondering if those with a dastardly childhood followed by immense tragedy might struggle to be happy throughout life.Because of a brutal stepfather, Pastor Garry had a rough childhood. The stepfather beat his mother and let them live in poverty. Just as Pastor Garry was arranging to move his mother out of the house, her husband savagely murdered her.His congregation responds well to him because they know he understands pain and problems.But he has always been clear about how our attitude influences our life."Happiness is a choice," he says. "I chose to be happy regardless of circumstances." Sometimes he has to dig deep into his faith to maintain that happiness. But he does it.Just as I've been thinking for weeks about how personal circumstances can influence happiness, along comes a long term scientific study on how much of our happiness we can control.This was not just another pop culture survey. It was a scientific study involving thousands of people.One main conclusion of the study: A pretty large chunk of our happiness is genetic. Studies indicate that anywhere between 30 to 80 percent of our happiness is dictated by our genes.I found that especially interesting because I have always suspected my inherent happiness that bubbles like a freshwater spring is not my own doing.I've always wondered if I inherited my positive outlook on life from my father, the same way I inherited his brown eyes.He was always upbeat, usually happy. Yet, he had a tough life few of us have to face today.From the age of 10 he had to quit school to bag coal and sell it on the highway. His father died before he was born and there was no such thing as mother's assistance to help his mother put food on the table. So he did it.He witnessed his brother being burned alive when their independent boot hole exploded while dad was powerless to help.While so many sad things happened to him, sadness never clung to him. He found joy and beauty in nature and the great outdoors and always expressed thankfulness for everything in life.I got much of that from him.People often tell me I am an extremely positive person. I am. But I've always suspected it's an unearned gift. It's something good I've been given.But I do agree with Pastor Garry when he says we all have to work at staying happy. We all have to work at keeping a positive attitude when things are going wrong and troubles are piling up. I agree with him, too, when he says those with a strong faith tend to be happier. Studies confirm that belief.You want to know how much attitude influences happiness?Well, here's the rest of that scientific study I've been telling you about. It proves there is plenty of leeway for us to overcome genetic factors.Scientific studies conclude that 10 to 60 percent of our happiness comes from our attitude and overall outlook on life.I wish I could print that in gigantic print.I wish I could sear it in every heart.We might be powerless to control what happens to us in life.But we're not powerless to control how we react to it.Pastor Garry know this. And maybe you do, too. Maybe your own experiences have taught you that while we often have to wade in deep water, it doesn't have to drown us.Curious about that happiness study, I've been asking people if they believe some of our ability to be happy is genetic.Some say "no way."They firmly believe we determine our own state of mind and consequently, our happiness.Others said, "It depends." It depends on the choices you make and on what happens to you in life.While it was a mixed bag of opinion, people feel strongly one way or the other.How about you?Do you think we control our own happiness?If so, how can we do that?I'd love to share your responses.