The Pearl

I listened to Emmylou Harris' "The Pearl", one of my favourite songs, this morning as I waited or the bus and the lyrics reminded me of the true nature of life:

Sorrow is constant and the joys are brief
The seasons come and bring no sweet relief
Time is a brutal but a careless thief
Who takes our lot but leaves behind the grief

I guess it sounds really negative, but I have had to continually remind myself that life is not fair and not a story about me. It's filled with melancholy, injustice and pain, shot through with moments of true beauty and magic. This morning, however, I've been thankful for grace, friendship, and community. Trying to cast my gaze upward...