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Happily Ever After
By Dahni
© 2023, all rights reserved
Happily Ever After? Does this sound like anything biblical or scriptural? This does not seem like anything biblical or scriptural.
This is a phrase that many people are familiar with, as am I. It has been a part of my life since I was a child. I still use it on a regular basis. So, I thought I would share why I still use this phrase and at least some of its history, History or Origin? Yes, it may not be exactly as you thought or think.
If like me, you may have heard or read this as a child from some fairytale. Books and stories (fairytales – children or youth fiction mostly), often ended with some use of this such as —
“And (he, she, they) all lived happily ever after!”
“Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After” is typically used as a formulaic ending to a fairy tale or children’s story. Later it was included in romantic novels to describe lovers, wedded or married bliss. Its literal meaning was —
“from then onwards and forever, happiness pervades”
“Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After” got mostly lost, forgotten or fell out of favor when the 21st century happened. Children’s stories today are more Grimm’ (grim), than (bluebird and fairy godmother happy), Disney. By the way, “Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After” was never an ending to any of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales.
The celebrated romance style novels written by Barbara Cartland in the past now avoid the idea that once the bride and groom say their ‘I do’s’ life would be forever idyllic and “Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After.”
The first time that the term “Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After” is used in relation to marriage is in Giovanni Boccaccio’s translation of Il Decamerone, 1702 —
“Paganino, hearing the News, married the Widow, and as they were very well acquainted, so they lived very lovingly, and happily, ever after.”
Whoop-ee-do-dah, there’s nothing there to do with the Bible but…
Augustin Marlorat was a 16th century, French Protestant reformer. He wrote in – ‘A Catholike and Ecclesiasticall exposition of the Holy Gospell’ in 1570. Yes, that title was written correctly by me and the words were not misspelled. But Agustin wrote the following —
“But after that Christe rose againe from death, then they were apointed ordinary teachers of the church: & in this respecte this honor pertained vnto the ever after”
And those words above are also written correctly and not misspelled.
Then in 1574, just four years later, the same writer above said it like this —
“Moreouer John had commended faith sufficiently when he sayde, that the dead whiche dye in the Lord are happie ever after.”
A Catholike exposition vpon the Reuelation of Sainct John, 1574
Hey, what can I say, this is the way he wrote and liekely spelled and pronounced words in those times. English is a hard language to learn!
So, the phrase “Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After” in at least around the 16th century, meant or was referring to —
“everlasting eternal happiness in heaven.”
Then the terms or phrases migrated in the 17th century and became “Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After.” This was when the princes and princesses of fairy-lore were forever-more (in this life anyway), locked into perpetual — love, romance, and wedded or married bliss.
Then, I suppose, when children like myself grew up and we first realized life does not always or seldom turns out “Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After,” these terms got dropped. It may be the generation of children after mine or the next generation after them may have all grown up never knowing these phrases?
Today, so many (including myself at times), have become jaded in our thinking, divided from one another, negative and so depressed, we don’t think about or believe in being “Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After” either anymore or not too very often. Those of us that grew up with these phrases have seen life throw us in the opposite direction with completely different and adverse consequences.
If all this lovey-dovey ever after business make you want to gag, many people have riffed on “Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After” for what they think or believe are more real-like sentiments.
I recently read a cynical expression recently and I cannot say that I have not thought something similar —
“crappily ever after is more like it.”
-somone on Twitter-
What I call ultra-realism is in essence, void of imagination. Imagination is for and just for children correct? The child must grow up and put away their toys. Children must grow up. In part, this is realism, but ultra-realism is as if, there is no place in the world, for imagination. Do you realize our brains do not know the difference between what some call reality and what is imagined or projected in the brain?
Imagination is the primary and instinctual work of children. It is until, it’s driven out of them. But by imagination— dreams are laid and incubated and visions fledge and fly. These often lead to inventions and technologies. Creativity is stirred, poured and painted on the world canvas. It increases both intellect and whole brain thinking. Imagination forms the notes in the ear and upon the pages of the human heart’s fervent desire for music. Imagination is – the freedom to breathe and think and produce. Imagination is a pulse and moves into and throughout the whole earth like the flow of blood. The great genius Albert Einstein wrote —
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
Albert Einstein
My usage of the phrases “Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After” is mostly used with a certain image followed by these words —
“…at least once in awhile”
I most often use the image to follow in celebrating someone’s birthday. I may use some emojis like: a cake, 🎂 a present, 🎁 a balloon, 🎈 and etc. But rarely do I ever send a birthday card or wish someone a Happy Birthday anymore. Call it my want to just be different, but I send the following image, instead.
As said before, I most often add the following —
“at least once in while”
I had a friend that passed away suddenly in July of 2022. She posted for her last time on her Facebook page the following, July 25th, 2022 —
The same day (07.25.2022), I replied —
Sadly, the very next day, my friend Kandy was gone. But I am still here and I can write and still encourage anyone that I still believe in being “Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After,” “…at least once in awhile!”
Besides growing up with the fairytale and perhaps child-like phrases as “Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After,” where did I come up with and include, “…at least once in awhile!”
There was this guy that was born in 1946. He is older than I am, but he was a contemporary of my time. His name is James William ???????. He is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, actor and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an “island escapism” lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, he has recorded many hit songs including one ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America’s list of “Songs of the Century.” It was written in part in Austin, Texas and finished in Key West, Florida. Maybe you know the song “Margaritaville,” which came out in 1977? I have no doubt that this song introduced many people to or even made its namesake drink, a margarita, 🍸even more popular than it may have already been. And I am sure if not fortunes, at least a lot of money has been made from Margaritaville-like drinks and products and merchandise and have contributed to — “Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After” “…at least once in awhile!”
Maybe you know James William ?????? by his nickname (his familiar but shortened real name), Jimmy Buffet?
Twenty years later or on June 4th, 1996, he put out a new album called, ‘Banana Wind’ and one of the songs is —
Happily Ever After
(Every Now and Then)
“Some people never find it
Some only pretend
But me –
I just want to live Happily After
If only every now and then”
Excerpt from: Happily Ever After’ (Now and Then)
© By Jimmy Buffet, The album ‘Banana Wind’ Published June 4th, 1996
So, whether for your birthday, any other day, any occasion in this life, for love, for forever in the there-after (eternity), I would each and everyone to be —
“…at least once and a while!”
In the King James version of the Bible, the word “happy” is used 25 times. You should get out or get a concordance and look up every verse. But here are a few:
“Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: (corrects) therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:”
Job 5:17 King James Version
All scripture from Genesis 1:1 – Revelation 22:21 is as it declares in II Timothy 3:16 is given by inspiration of God. These words, “given by inspiration of God” from the Greek is the one word theopneuustos, which literally means, “God Breathed. This “God Breathed Word” is profitable in three ways — for “doctrine” (which is right believing action), for “reproof” when we fail to apply the doctrine (making practical errors), and to get us back to the “doctrine”, and is therefore profitable for “correction,” which is to correct practical errors that have gone on for so long, false doctrines are the consequence. But God’s Word is profitable to correct these doctrinal errors and get us back to the right “doctrine” or right believing of His “God Breathed” Word.
These three — doctrine, reproof and correction are instruction in righteousness. Now read the verse from Job again. Man, woman or child (“man” – is an all inclusive noun), is “Happy” if God corrects us and put us back to believing rightly.
“Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.”
Psalm 127:5 KJV
In the above verse, the word “quiver” is figuratively used for one’s children. Today, when population growth is slowing and people decide not to have children for fear of bringing them into a troubled world, they should and we all should, read this verse. And also, it is impossible to even sustain a culture without producing at minimum, 2-3 children per couple. I don’t know about you, but I’d be “Happy” about that!
“Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord,…
Deuteronomy 32:29 KJV
This refers to an entire country — Israel being “Happy.”
“For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.”
Psalm 128:2 KJV
“Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.”
Psalm 144:15 KJV
“She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.”
Proverbs 3:18 KJV
The wisdom of God (“she is a tree of life”), and makes people “Happy!”
“He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.”
Proverbs 14:21 KJV
Having mercy makes one “Happy!”
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”
Proverbs 29:18 KJV
Without vision people perish, but to those that keep God’s Word, they are “Happy!”
These are but a few examples. Again, I encourage you to look up all the references to the word “Happy” in the King James Version of the Bible
Oh I do believe that God does want us to be “Happily Ever After” or “Happy Ever After,” now, “every once in awhile” and for “ever after” throughout all eternity!
Now if you want to dispute any of this, Go for it, but I did not write the Bible, I am just…
…a witness!
Dahni