GRIEF AND JOY MIXED TOGETHER

 

“There’s a season for everything

And a time for every matter under the heaven:

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn and a time to dance.”

Thus spoke the Teacher in Ecclesiastes.

But what if grief and joy come mixed together?

 

Grief comes with sudden attacks

A child, taken in its tender years

An adult, in the prime of life,

Suddenly taken by an accident,

Or by an attack within the body.

Such grief is hard and leaves

A mark on one’s psyche;

A mark that comes with sudden attack,

But a mark that stays for

Unmeasured days or maybe years.

 

Joy and celebration often come slowly.

A birthday celebrating one hundred years

Will bring smiles and well wishes

From family and friends.

A special joy is felt when someone

Says, “We’re getting married.”

Such joy exceeds most thoughts of love

For when two people want to spend

A lifetime together, we joyously celebrate

With smiles on each one’s face.

 

We celebrate the one who now

Has attained one hundred years,.

But then the body says “I’m done.”

The memorial brings some sadness,

But mostly joy for a life well lived.

We dry whatever tears have flowed

And comfort one another with

Thoughts of goodness about the one who died.

We sorrow that a loved one is gone,

But know the one has lived a full and joyous life.

 

Then suddenly we note a young child

Has died so unexpectedly.

We are shocked with sudden grief

And all seems senseless and dark.

What can we do? Our mind and body

Seemingly stand still, frozen with grief.

Again, we hear that awful news,

A man, just past his prime,

But so full of life and joyous adventures,

Alive one day, but gone the next.

 

A child is born, bringing exciting joy to parents

But wait, the infant child can hardly breathe.

Exciting joy, but now wrapped up in grief

As the infant breathes its last.

With such grief in our hearts,

How are we able to express joy?

As we wish the young couple much joy

And excitement for a life of married wonder.

 

Our hearts are heavy with grief

But also full of joy.

How can this be? How do we keep a balance

As both extremes happen simultaneously?

 One hand is overfull with grief

The other filled with overflowing joy.