When I was a boy growing up there was a mountain spring near my home. I used to hike up a mountainside through a forest to reach it. I would grab an old fallen tree branch and use it for my walking stick. I would make my way through the waist high weeds and thorn bushes until I finally reached the moss covered rocks that lined the spring. Then wiping the sweat from my forehead I would kneel down, cup my hand, and drink the crystal clear water.It tasted so pure and so sweet. Drinking it filled me with energy and joy. It was like I had my own personal fountain of youth hidden away from the world.

These days I rarely hike anymore. My youthful body has gown older and more wrinkled. My thick, brown hair has thinned and turned silver. The spring in my stepisn’t quite what it was. In fact, I am now more creaky and achy than bouncy and springy. Still, I do have a fountain of youth that I go to whenever I am feeling old and worn down. And this fountain of youth is deep down inside of me.

This fountain is Love. Love brings energy to your body. Love brings wisdom to your mind.

Love brings peace to your heart. When you love you feel not only young, but eternal. It doesn’t matter if you are eight, eighteen, or eighty. When you love you become the ageless Child of Godthat you were meant to be.

Drink deep from the fountain of youth then. Drink deep from the fountain of love. Let its Heavenly waters heal you from the inside out. Let its pure, sweet taste nourish your heart and soul. Take this gift from God and fill your glass full to overflowing. Then go out and fill the glasses of others as well. Like a mountain spring its waters are meant to be shared. Like a stream from heaven it is meant to be a blessing to all.

Joseph J. Mazzella