From The Celtic Spirit: Daily Meditations for the Turning Year by Caitlin Matthews,
“”Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know,
Safely through the world we go.” William Blake
Joy and sorrow do not perform according to logical rules and laws; they come unbidden like the clouds, the rain, the sunshine…
The gifts of sadness, like the gifts of happiness, come to all conditions and types of people. They provide moments of self-clarification that keep our lives on course. Sadness nearly always stems from some form of exclusion, separation, or rejection. When we are disconnected from life, we yearn for union. Joy connects us strongly with life; like people who plunge into the stream, we enter the swim of life in ecstatic connection. Our going safely through the world is based on a true regard of both conditions. When we value the gifts both of joy and of sorrow, our taste for life increases. When we accept both happiness and sadness as our mortal bequest, we grow as human beings.”
King Edward Street Chapel 