To A Friend...

When You Feel Sad
by James E. Miller

Your sadness is real,

yet it need not be final.

You have known deep joy before;

you can yet again.

And while your despair brings you pain,

it can also bring you wisdom and strength.

From it you will learn secrets about yourself,

and truths about others.

Through it you will experience the blessings of healing,

and the mysteries of life.

So listen to your despair

and allow it to lead you to greater fullness.

And always remember: you are not alone.

You are loved, whatever happens.

You have significance, whatever befalls.

For you are an unrepeatable act in God’s grand creation.

You are irreplaceable.

At this moment, your journey in life

is requiring of you great courage, often unseen by others.

Be strong in your persistence.

Be supple in your patience.

And know: despite your brokenness,

and somehow even because of it,

wholeness awaits you.

Despite what you have lost,

and somehow even because of it,

you stand to gain.

You hold the possibility of experiencing life

with a maturity, and a compassion, and an appreciation

you have never known before.

So be open.

Know that the life which flows through you

has been given you as a sacred gift.

Cherish that gift. Nurture it.

Above all else, hallow the preciousness

of each passing moment that is yours,

for this is where the miracle of life resides,

and this is where you must go to find it.

Finally, remember that your destiny was predicted

by the writer of the Book of Job:

"You will forget your misery,

you will remember it as waters that have passed away.

And your life will be brighter than the noonday;

its darkness will be like the morning.

And you will have confidence, because there is hope."