Lent, Feb. 18, 2016

[dreamflower]

My Lenten wish for all of you today:

Comments

[shirebound]

And to you, my dear friend.

[dreamflower]

((((hugs)))

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

i've been enjoying your Lenten posts and completely, inexcusably remiss in commenting, but I especially like this one. Joy is such a complex thing--an emotion on one hand, but a rational choice on the other... and there's always an element of sorrow involved, because you can't feel joy without knowing sorrow.

Good food for thought, this.

[dreamflower]

Tolkien knew all about this. Two of my favorite quotes from him:

From "On Fairy Stories":
"It does not deny the existence of dyscatastrophe, of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance; it denies (in the face of much evidence, if you will) universal final defeat and in so far is evangelium, giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.”


From RotK:
And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver and gold, and all men were hushed. And he sang to them, now in the Elven-tongue, now in the speech of the West, until their hearts, wounded with sweet words, overflowed, and their joy was like swords, and they passed in thought out to regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness.

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And very much joy to you too, in the small and the large things of life.

[dreamflower]

That's much appreciated.

And you are welcome, dear!