Jun 28
Life And The Pursuit of Happiness
For time immemorial, men both great and small have spent the last drop of their energy, the last cent of their fortune and the last breath they had within them in the quest for the meaning of life. Volumes have been written on the topic and countless debates have been held. Some have sought it in power, some in fame, and still others in fortune. Many who reached the end of their quest did succeed in finding what they were looking for, but despair because in their discovery they learned that the road they followed led to emptiness.
Today I held my third grandchild in my arms for the first time. For just a moment, her tiny fingers curled around mine, and the tiniest hint of a smile crossed her tiny lips. I can’t speak for any of the great minds who have gone before me, but I can say that for me, I am convinced, the meaning of life is in love. The greatest purpose I can hope to aspire to is to love, and to be loved; to love my God, to love my family, and to love those that the Lord has seen fit to allow me to know.
This year so far for me, has been defined by the people I love, and in spite of my blatant flaws who have loved me in return. When the Lord crosses my path with a smile from an old friend, when my grandson yelled “Pap-pap!” from across a room, when my granddaughter gave me a trusting smile and blew bubbles with me, when my wife did whatever it took to keep us together, when my family worked frantically to create the perfect Father’s day, when my daughter writes me small notes with smileys, when my father chose to travel thousands of miles just to spend a few days with me, they were all saying simply, “I love you.”
To each of you, I love you too, with all that is within me. I may not express it so well, but I will never stop trying to learn how to demonstrate it better. For me, the meaning of mortal life is to love my Lord, and to love each of you.
As long as you live and know that you have my unconditional love, I am fulfilled.
