Joy and Woe – two sides of the same coin

"Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine,
Under every grief and pine,
Runs a joy with silken twine.
It is right it should be so,
We were made for joy and woe,
And when this we rightly know,
Through the world we safely go."

 William Blake

About this poem Rosie Schaap wrote, “my experience of grief shifted, as though the passage told me to live in that grief as long as I might need, that—through memories, through love, through the very impulse to grieve—it was entwined with joy; that stitched somewhere in my sadness—which seemed insurmountable—was a thread of happiness. This time, Blake …. lit a little votive in the small, dark chapel of loss, by whose light I started to see a way through.” 

I love the phrase “…stitched somewhere in my sadness – which seemed insurmountable – was a thread of happiness.”  It is hopeful but not dismissive of the grief I feel. Are there written words that capture your thoughts, experiences and feelings?

Katherine