Silver Lining

There is always a silver lining

In every situation

A reason that too often

Is not apparent to

The human eye

Even in the darkest clouds

There are specks of joy

Out of the darkness

Comes light

Just as day

Always follows night

At time it feels as though

Life is devoid of joy

And happy times

Are not a possibility

It feels like the bottom

Has been reached

And there is nothing to

Laugh about

Yet it is in these gloomy moments

That one comes to know one’s self

To test your strength

Your courage

Your true self

And how through the depths of despair

The goodness and kindness

Of the human spirit truly shines

For it is by encountering hardship

That one is truly able

To appreciate the good times

Nobody is immune from tragedy

Bringing grace and dignity

To the trying moments

Helps one to rise above

And feel stronger

To face the next hurdle

One is sure to encounter

On the journey of life

There will be days of laughter

And there will be days of tears

Both serve a dual function

And in their duality are joined

The emotions of laughter and crying

Are linked

Both serve as a release

Of pent-up feelings

Of letting go

Of release

And any time you release

Your feelings

You are open

To the human experience

Of living and loving

Of opening your heart

Of sharing

Both joy and sadness

Sometimes when things appear

Especially bleak

It seems hard to envision

There will ever be a reason to laugh

But one has to trust

That everything has a purpose

And that out of the deepest sorrow

Often emerges the most profound joy

Without experiencing the sorrow

The joy would not be the same

Imagine a life devoid of

Pain and suffering

Of joy and laughter

Of just living a mediocre life

Without these feelings

Each one has their place

In the life cycle

Each will be encountered

At different stages

To different degrees

In your lifetime

Each interlude with grief

Has a silver lining

As when the grief lifts

There is so much to behold

However, sans the grief

There would be no joy

Just moving along

In a robotic manner

Laughter is the key to the soul

As sadness is key to the heart

They are united

And the key switches back and forth

Opening the heart and the soul

To all the beauty

To all the ecstasy

Of living in the world

Difficult as it is to believe

One needs to trust

One needs to know

That the dark days will

Be followed by sunshine

For light always prevails