A friend shared this with me today. It is too well-written for me not to share with you. The following are the words of Pope Francis. They are powerful. They are hopeful. They are enlightening. Please take your time and read this piece slowly.

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You can be flawed, anxious and sometimes irritated, but don’t forget that your life is the greatest company in the world. Only you can prevent her from going into decline.

There are many who appreciate, admire and love you.  And you don’t know but there are people for whom you are special.

I would like you to remember that being happy is not having a sky without storms, a road without accidents, work without fatigue, personal relationships without disappointments. To be happy is to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the box of fear, love in disagreements. 

Being happy is not only to value the smile, but also to reflect on sadness.

It is not just commemorating success, but learning lessons from failure.

It is not just having joy with the applause, but having joy in anonymity.

Being happy is recognizing that life is worth living, despite all the challenges, sadness, misunderstandings, and periods of emotional and economic crisis.

Being happy is not a fate of destiny, but a conquest for those who know how to travel within their own being.

To be happy is to stop being a victim of problems and become an actor in your own story. It is crossing deserts outside of oneself, but being able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is thanking God every morning for the miracle of life.

Being happy is not being afraid of your own feelings. It is knowing how to talk about yourself. It is having the courage to hear a “no” even from those you love. It is having security to receive criticism, even if it is unfair.

To be happy is to let live the free, happy and simple creature that lives within each one of us. It is having maturity to say ‘I was wrong’. It is having the audacity to say ‘forgive me’. It is having sensitivity to express ‘I need you’. It is having the ability to say ‘I love you’.

Never give up! 
Never give up on the people you love.
Never give up on being happy, because life is an unmissable show!