#Sorrow
JOY AND SORROW
Our lives will have their share of joy and happiness
with a sprinkling of sorrow and pain
They will see their share of sunshine.
They will see their share of rain.
At times we will find ourselves in the midst of a joy…
like we’ve never felt before…
when all of a sudden sorrow
comes knocking on our door.
At times we will find ourselves consumed with sorrow…
wondering if it will ever end
and suddenly find joy waiting for us
just around the bend.
Knowing life can change in an instant…
No matter what we plan…
We try to remember to enjoy the joy
every moment that we can.
And when sorrow is a visitor
We try never to lose sight…
how her shadows will eventually fade
In the joyfulness of light.
Knowing life is unpredictable
always changing
and has no guarantees
we close our eyes
we fold our hands
and we get down on our knees.
We pray that fate or destiny
or the universe will be kind…
that when sorrow enters our life…
joy is never far behind.
LIKE A CASTLE IN THE SAND
When our heart is filled with sorrow we find it hard to comprehend
why this happened in our life…why to our family or friends?
Yet it’s preposterous to think in a world where every living thing must die
that sorrow will overlook us...will somehow pass us by.
Just as joy has the capacity to surprise….sorrow has the capacity to shock.
The pendulum of life swings back and forth...at any hour of the clock.
In those inevitable moments when sorrow descends upon our land
It helps for me to envision it…like a castle in the sand.
At the onset a castle built of sadness stands tall...seizing our full attention.
Our life has slowed and is now crowded with misery, fear and tension.
Our face which one time was awash in smile is now in constant frown
but soon our tears, like the ocean’s waves, begin to tear that castle down.
It happens ever so slowly leaving us to wonder if we can go on
until one day we awake to find that castle is now gone.
We find we can be happy again, and though we’ll never be the same
our sorrow has dissolved back into the sands from which it came.
Certainly sorrow has done her damage, causing torment, causing pain
and in her wake upon our heart a lasting scar remains.
But that scar not only reminds us of the sorrow we’ve been through
It also shows, no matter what the pain, that we can heal too.
It shows we can survive...it shows we can withstand
It shows even our deepest sorrow will eventually dissolve…
like a castle in the sand.
TO A BROKEN HEART
What can I say to ease your sorrow? In a lifetime of words I’ve spoken…how do I find the right ones…
to ease a heart that’s broken?
When I see that you are hurting…that you’re struggling
know this to be true…
Because I know you…admire you…love you…
my heart is breaking too.
I am struggling with how to act…knowing I can’t make your pain go away.
I’m struggling knowing what to do….finding the right words to say.
I know the right words at the right time
might soothe your heart and brighten your day.
While the right words at the wrong time
will fall like the first snow of winter and quickly melt away.
I am also struggling because it’s often hard to determine…often hard to see
exactly when the right time is…exactly what the right words might be.
With that in mind…I offer these words today…it’s all that I can do…
Read them now if you are ready…
or wait till the time is right for you.
Know that just like other setbacks you have faced
you will emerge from this one…it’s true!
for scars are merely a part of life…and can be beautiful too.
Know that as sad as you are there will come a time…
only you know where…or when…
you will hurt a little less…
smile a little more
and find your happiness again.
Know that as long as I am living …through your sunshines and your rains
I will rejoice in all your joys…I will share in all your pains.
And finally, no matter what happens to you in life…
let this in your heart be known…
as long as I am living…
you will never be alone.
SORROW SO PROFOUND
What if the death of any person anywhere hurled us into blackness
a world of darkness we could not shun
as if when that person was taken from this world
someone permanently shrouded the sun.
What if it led to a sadness so pervasive…even on the most beautiful days of Spring
we cold not see the flowers bloom…we could not hear the songbirds sing.
What if the death of any person anywhere threw us into a hole of sadness out of which we could not climb
an anguish…a sorrow so profound…it could not be absorbed by time…
What if the death of any person anywhere in the world hurled us into blackness
a world of darkness we could not shun…
Perhaps then we’d find a way to do away with wars,
with bombs…
with killing…
with guns.
A MAN OF FEW WORDS
He was already a man of few words
but her death left him completely silent
and bereft
as if she took to heaven with her
whatever few words he had left.
THE SIGH
As he watched her sigh so plaintively
a sigh filled with sorrow and chagrin
it made him wonder
if it isn’t sighs
that initiate the wind.
CRYING IN THE RAIN
She did not want anyone to see her grief,
her sorrow
her sadness
her pain
So she waited for the clouds to form
and did her crying in the rain.
WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR HEART BEHIND
She was seven when her family moved away…
She was sad…she didn’t know what to do
as she waved goodbye to all her friends
and the only home she ever knew.
Her parents said they have a nice new house
that she’d make new friends…
still she pined…
For how could she make new friends
when she left her heart behind?
They were married only 20 years
When his wife unexpectedly passed away…
He didn’t have time to say goodbye
To plead with her to stay…
Friends said he was still young
that he’d find another wife as gentle and as kind
but he knew that would be impossible
when he left his heart behind.
A loss of any kind is difficult…
when there is so much that we miss…
If there is anything we must remember…
we must remember this…
For anyone who experiences a loss
we must keep this in mind…
It’s never easy to move ahead
when you’ve left your heart behind.
So we must show them patience and love
For in their own time they will discover
That there is happiness ahead…
That their heart can and will recover.
HAPPINESS WILL RETURN
Her sorrow at her loss was overwhelming….
It wold not leave her side
So she sought the wisdom of an old friend
In whom she could confide….
“Today your forest is dark.” Her friend said.
“For darkness is what sorrow brings.
All the trees are bent in sadness.
All the birds have broken wings.”
“You cannot force your happiness to return.” she said
Your heart…cannot be deceived.
You must allow yourself this sadness
You need this time to grieve.”
“But when will my sorrow end?” She asked
I’ve been sad for much too long….”
Her friend smiled…
There is no right way to deal with sadness
just as there is no wrong.”
Your sadness will always be there
some days it lies dormant…other days it churns
but slowly when you least expect it…
happiness will return…
The day you smile in spite of your tears
is the day your happiness will again be revealed….
The day you can tell your story and no longer cry…
It is the day you know you’ve healed.”