This a paraphrased synopsis of a speech Pope Francis recently gave. I could not come up with better words, so here ya go!
“Contrary to what the world around us would have us believe, being happy is not having a sky without storm, a road without accidents, a job without effort, a relationship without disappointments.
“To be truly happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become the author of your own fate. You CAN give leadership to your own thoughts. It’s walking through deserts but being able to find an oasis deep in the soul. It’s thanking God every morning for the miracle of life. It’s kissing your children, cuddling your parents, having poetic moments with your friends, even when they hurt you.
“Being happy is letting the creature that lives in each of us live free, joyfully, and simply. Being happy is having the maturity to be able to say, “I’ve made mistakes”. It’s having the courage to say, “I’m sorry.” It’s having the sense to say, “I need you.” It’s having the ability to say, “I love you.”
“May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness, that in spring you may be a lover of joy and in winter a lover of wisdom.
“And when you make a mistake, start over. Because only then will you be in love with life. You’ll discover that being happy isn’t having a perfect life.
“Use your tears to irrigate tolerance.
Use your defeats to train your patience.
Use your mistakes with the serenity of the sculptor.
Use your pain to tune into pleasure.
Use your obstacles to open the windows of intelligence.
“Never give up.
Above all never give up on the people that love you.
Never give up on being happy because life is an incredible spectacle.”
