Participate With Joy in the Sorrows

~ Peace by Diane Leonard ~

“Nothing can dim
the light that shines from within.”
~ Maya Angelou ~

Thanks to Gary O'Brien & Ravenous Butterflies
for this spot of light and inspiration
on a rainy April day.

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And again to Gary for sharing
these wise words from Joseph Campbell:

“The field of time is the field of sorrow. 'All life is sorrowful.' And it is. If you try to correct the sorrows, all you do is shift them somewhere else. Life is sorrowful. How do you live with that? You realize the eternal within yourself. You disengage, and yet, reengage. You — and here’s the beautiful formula — 'participate with joy in the sorrows of the world.' You play the game. It hurts, but you know that you have found the place that is transcendent of injury and fulfillments. You are there, and that’s it.”

found in
A Joseph Campbell Companion:
Reflections on the Art of Living

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And this poem that Gary posted,
way back before Coronavirus but so appropriate
-- except for the part about touching hands!
Don't do that!

Epitaph

When I die
Give what’s left of me away
To children
And old men that wait to die.

And if you need to cry,
Cry for your brother
Walking the street beside you.
And when you need me,
Put your arms
Around anyone
And give them
What you need to give to me.

I want to leave you something,
Something better
Than words
Or sounds.

Look for me
In the people I’ve known
Or loved,
And if you cannot give me away,
At least let me live on in your eyes
And not your mind.

You can love me most
By letting
Hands touch hands,
By letting bodies touch bodies,
And by letting go
Of children
That need to be free.

Love doesn’t die,
People do.
So, when all that’s left of me
Is love,
Give me away.

By Merrit Malloy