June 20, 2005

  • JOY AND SORROW (Chapter 8) by Kahlil Gibran


    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.


    My paternal grandfather passed away June 1st, 2005.  He was the last of my grandfathers.  When I found out that he passed away I was still in San Diego on our way to LA.  I haven't blogged since then because I wanted to take time to remember him here on my page.  Sounds weird, doesn't it?  Perhaps.  Yet xanga has been my way of remembering those things in my life which while sorrowful, I dare not forget.  For as the passage above says, "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."  My grandfather and I were never close, the language barrier between us was too great.  Our relationship consisted of simple gestures like me greeting him with a huge smile and addressing him and him making me eat all types of food I wouldn't normally bother with but dutifully eating it anyway.  And yet there is a sadness in me that knows I will not see him the next time I head to China.


    One of the greatest hopes the Christian believer has is the belief that those loved ones who have accepted Christ will join him in heaven.  So while there is grief, there is also a sense of joy and hope.


    Grandfather, you will be missed but I will see you again.


    But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.  1 Corinthinans 2:10