When I was a boy we lived four miles from town and most of my friends lived in town. As a result I ended up playing by myself a lot. I didn’t mind the solitude, however. I enjoyed riding my bike for hours, swimming in the river, and taking long walks in the woods. It felt good being alone with my own thoughts and my own imagination. Sometimes I even pondered a few of the big questions we all have. I would think,‘What is this world all about?’ ‘What is the meaning of life?’ and ‘Why are we here?’ I never could think of a good answer, though, and soon went back to playing again. It took me many years and a lot of searching to find the answer I was seeking and when I did, it was so simple that I almost didn’t believe it.

The answer is love. It always has been and it always will be. The rest is just details. We are here to choose love. We are here to share love. We are here to learn of love. We are here to grow in love. We are here to pray for love. We are here to delight in love. We are here to complete our missions in love and to help others to complete theirs. We are here to fill ourselves full to overflowing with the love that created and maintains the universe. We are here to love everyone as ourselves. We are here to find our own special ways of sharing all the love that is within us. It is our gift to god and our answer to life. And even if we haven’t done the best job of it up until now, each new day gives us another chance.

When the big questions of life leave you lost then, don’t give up. Just love. The answers will come to you, if not in this life then in the next.