The Journey to Happiness

Tonight my Rebbi is making an Oneg Shabbos/Vort to celebrate my engagement for all my friends who were not able to attend the one in LA. It is really nice and I am appreciative of him, and of all my friends who are so happy for me and eager to see me happy. I am one lucky guy. I thank Hashem day to day for the gift he has given me and the Menuchas Hanefesh that I don't need to constantly think and doubt if I will ever find someone who loves me for who I am, and, who has given me someone special to grow with and make this world a better place. Perserverance in doing good and acting with responsibility, purpose and reason is the most important, and by default, the most difficult thing to do. Sitting by the Gemarah and Shulchan Oruch, realizing I might never have this opportunity again to learn without headache and worry gives me the chills. I should be taking advantage of every spare moment I have to learn and soak up knowledge. The more I take college courses the more I realize how valuable Torah learning is to maintain my Jewish identity. They compliment each other. The more secular subjects I learn, the more I value and appreciate the wisdom found in the Torah. The more I learn and work at the lumdus in the gemarah, the easier it is for me to grasp the concepts in class. When I go to my Economics class and I hear difficult concepts, I can grasp it with in a few minutes. However when I hear shiur and I see how difficult the subject matter and how complex the issues are, and barly scratch the surface, I realize Torah is more than just a subject. It is a spiritual journey to the knowledge of purpose and happiness. It is hard and difficult but the light at the end of the tunnel shines bright. There is no doubt.