Thank you for your thoughtful reply. What deep truths! I especially like the imagery here. To be able to see life in perspective is a gift that comes with age. Not everything is such a BIG deal. Be calm and carry on.

"He says that in his youth he was a stream full of rocks that he carried with him; as an adult, a rushing river; and in old age, he was still moving, but slowly, like a pool" of water, the pope said. He said he likes this latter image of a pool of water -- to have "the ability to move with kindness and humility, a calmness in life."