The necessity of Sorrow

It is not possible 

to complete yourself without sorrow

Sorrow is a vital ingredient that shapes the heart 

and enriches it (Hafiz)

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fresh snow

sunlight shining through the trees

makes me happy

so does a smile of greeting

on a beloveds face

or the nudge of a cat's nose

the nicker of a horse

as it walks across the pasture to greet me

so does the grandeur of the mountain

the freshness of rural air

on an early spring morn

these thing enrich my life

and bring me closer to God

and to myself

as well

but so too does sorrow

the sorrow of failure

of things said and done that have

pushed me

off the path and into

the wilderness of confusion and despair

so too relationship

fractured and shredded

by my own foolishness

so too the sorrow 

of the hatred and anger

the fear

seen in acts and words of violence

that hideous violence

of bomb

and the equally hideous 

violence

of people on the internet

spewing

their blind anger

 

 life is joy and sorrow

peace and violence

order and chaos

as am I

 

in sorrow I am watered

and plant myself firmly in the sacred

and in joy

I blossom

and emerge

and become

 

a tree, planted by the water

(Psalm 1:3)