A WELCOME NOTE:
Greetings, and a very warm welcome to you. Thank you for taking some time to share in my philosophical foibles. It's my hope that within these entries you might find encouragement, challenge, laughter, counsel and companionship for the journey ahead. Carpe Diem!
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A little while ago I did something I have not done in quite some time...I watched a sunset. It was the first time I did so in an age. I admit this with some embarrassment given the fact that I live in a city which offers so many great vantage points from which to experience this beautiful natural spectacle.
As I stood watching the solar fire ball dip below the oceanic horizon, it felt like my soul was taking its first deep breath of fresh air in far, far too long. Since that encounter with nature's beauty, I've been thinking about other important things that haven't been a part of my life for an unacceptably long period of time.
There is a verse in the good book (no, not the TV guide) that reads: "Sorrow may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
One of the things I like about the Bible is that it makes no attempt to gloss over the brokenness that is so often found in the world. Sorrow is an everyday part of life on this side of eternity. It's important to acknowledge that we live in a reality that has been distorted and scarred by our own imperfections and weaknesses. How is a physician to embark on a course of restorative action if there is no admission regarding the existence of the illness in the first place? Authentic joy in this life can only be experienced when we stare heartache in the face, and by the grace of God, overcome it.
I feel sad today. It's more complex than my ability to express or fathom. I suppose it's the result of a sober awareness that this life is often not as it was intended to be, and in many respects not as I expected or hoped it would be. Some things lost. Some things never found. Other things found and subsequently lost. Still other things found that would have been better left lost. For now at least, I'm just going to allow myself the space to be sad...the license to mourn. I hope that's OK with you. Besides, I question the legitimacy of any claimed joy that refuses to acknowledge the reality and validity of occasional heartache. So, I thought I'd take a few moments to share some quotes on the subject of sadness that have given me pause for thought. Here they are...
