I was driving home the other day after taking my son to the sheltered workshop where he works part time. The clouds had parted and the newly freed sun was slowly warming the Earth.

The radio was playing and Louis Armstrong was singing, “What a Wonderful World.” I was joining in with my scratchy voice. I rounded a curve and saw the distant mountains alight with golden sunshine. It was so beautiful. In that second the music, the light, and the view came together and filled my heart with peace. I felt like I was where I was meant to be.
I felt like I was who I wanted to be. I felt like I was the person God called me to be. I drove on letting that moment of pure peace uplift my spirit and thanked God again for my life here.

I have noticed over the years that as I have gotten older and thankfully wiser those moments of pure peace have become more and more frequent. In my quest for peace I used to feel like I was searching for a treasure. In my soul I was scaling mountains, crossing rivers, and traveling long and far to find that elusive peace. What I finally found when I stopped my searching and striving, though, was that I was carrying that peace inside of me all along.

How do you find peace? The answer I feel is to just love. Love God. Love yourself. Love everyone else. Love nature. Love music. Love animals. Love books. Love learning. Love this world all around you. Love life itself. When you love you find that the storms of life can never break you. When you love you find yourself connected to the very energy that created the universe. When you love you find yourself growing ever closer to God today, tomorrow, and forever. Love is what leads you to your true self. Love is what makes peace your permanent companion. May all of your days here be full of love. May all of your days here be full of peace.

May all of your days here carry you one step closer to Heaven.

Joseph J. Mazzella