On Pain, Joy and Sorrow

In approximately 48 hours my parents will board a plane headed for Monrovia, Liberia (West Africa).  Although, every minute of every day holds its own uncertainty, four years of absolute uncertainty seems like a pretty big pill to swallow. 


We have tried to capture every moment of family time possible this week, but as our time together comes to an end, I find that I have no words, no spiritual insights and no daily antidotes to aid in coping.  As I watched my mom tell her siblings and ailing father goodbye yesterday, my thoughts drifted to...how painful goodbyes are...how many heartbreaks are encompassed in life on this earth...and how when it's all said and done, most people agree that love and experiences are worth it, in spite of the pain.

So, tonight I find solace in re-reading the words of one of my favorite poets and philosophers, Khalil Gibran. 

"On Pain"

And a woman spoke, saying, "Tell us of Pain."
And he said:
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.
And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;
And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.
And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.
Much of your pain is self-chosen.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.
Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility;
For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,
And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.

"On Joy & Sorrow"

Then a woman said, "Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow."
And he answered:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.
Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

*Writings taken from The Prophet by Khalil Gibran.