While talking with one of my friends, our conversation turned to what makes us truly happy. My friend said she feels happiest when she enjoys complete freedom and does whatever she wants. But the things she described felt strangely hollow to me. So I asked her,
“Don’t you ever feel a deep sadness at the end of the day?”
She paused, then quietly replied, “Sometimes, yes.”
Before I came to know the truth, I too enjoyed many freedoms and did as I pleased. But as each day came to an end, I was often swept up in a wave of sorrow. Nothing I pursued could satisfy me—nothing could bring lasting joy at the close of the day.
I had wandered aimlessly, unsure of where to go or what to do, until I met God. Within the truth, I felt a peace unlike anything I’d known—like coming home after a long, weary journey. It was as if the stormy waters of my heart had grown still, and the cup that had always been half-empty was finally filled.
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. Ps 137:1
The Israelites, exiled in Babylon, wept as they longed for Zion and Jerusalem. They lived in sorrow because they were far from home. Perhaps I too had often felt sorrow for the same reason, because my soul had long been separated from my true home, the embrace of our Heavenly Mother. Now, living in Zion and resting in the arms of Jerusalem Mother, I am truly at peace. I am truly happy.