In sincerity, to a friend....

We can never know ourselves, because the self is impermanent, it is constantly changing, just like our lives, just like our interests and passions. Even those things in us that feel permanent, that seem like lifelong goals or hobbies, are simply impulses of the body.

It is the illusion of a permanent self that causes suffering, because we become too attached to it. It is important to remember that when we die, we take none of this with us, not our hobbies, not our achievements, not even our trauma. We must live every day meditating on death. It is in death that we find freedom; we find the wisdom to live here and now, to appreciate each day for what it is worth, and to forgive the past.

What could have been? Nothing else than what is. The only permanent cure to suffering is forgetting ourselves in our love of others. That's why, in many cases, our children become our saviors. Because in our children, we find unconditional love. Unconditional love allows us to be as we are. By experiencing the unconditional love of another, we are also allowed to practice unconditional love. True freedom can only be found in unconditional love. It makes all suffering sweet.

Recent studies in holistic Psychology are discovering that a better cure for depression is "meaningfulness." People who find more meaning in their lives are found to overcome depression faster and have less relapses. What is meaning? Meaning is found in the things we give away freely. What is the easiest thing to give freely? Love. If you cannot be generous with your money, become generous with yourself. Give your time freely to others. Indulge yourself in their cares and worries. Practice love daily.

What I never told you about my sublime experience is that it was a sacrifice. I gave up myself in the need to know God. When I cried out, "God, I need you!" what I really said was "God, I do not need myself." And in God, the smaller self was destroyed and I was given wholeness, I was given unconditional love. I was given something greater than myself, something that allowed me to create endless meaning in my life... because it was no longer my life, it became Our life. This is why I am able to pass through my suffering unscathed. All things are sacrifice, and all sacrifice has been made to fuel my love. I have found a place in my heart where no matter the storm, I can say, "God, this is for You."

Never wonder who you are. We are what we can do for others. All else is up to God.