More College Essay Advice Please!

Here's the prompt: What matters to you, and why?

And here's the essay:
“And they lived happily ever after.” I have always found it interesting that this sentence is the conventional ending to many children’s stories. Is it ever possible to be happy for such a long duration of time? This thought often arose in my mind whenever I heard this phrase, and I wondered whether it was possible to enjoy perpetual happiness.
When I was seven years old, my mother passed away in a horrible car accident. Tragic, yes, but at the time, I was much too young to understand the gravity of the situation. As I grew older, I was able to reflect back on the occurrence with more thought. This was obviously a very grievous incident, and caused much sadness for both myself and my family, but I felt that there much be some way to overcome it. I found the solution to my problem in a very simple yet ancient idea - the idea that everything is temporary, and must eventually go. This idea helped me to realize that everyone will go one day, and allowed me to push past the boundaries that grief had drawn around me.
Life is very precious, and if one does not completely enjoy it, it will slowly waste by, and then it will be too late. What matters to me most in life is life itself, and the opportunities that it provides. Everything is temporary, and I find it very important to live life to the fullest, and savor every bit of it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!