A Patchwork of Tears

I suppose it can be said that life is a patchwork of tears. We cry at the happiest moments in our lives and we cry through the worst ones. Then, when things are stable in our own little world, we will cry in joy for the fortunes smiling down on a friend or in the bonds of comfort we will cry with our friends in darkest moments. Thus we live in a patchwork of tears.

In a sense tears are the glue that holds our emotions and memories together. They, also, have the greatest ability to relieve stress. We will cry our hearts out and when we stop crying some of the tension that was built in our shoulders has been relieved and our heart don’t feel has heavy despite the grief or even joy remain. In our darkest moments, we will throw ourselves on a bed or the couch, curl up in a chair with a blanket tucked tightly around us, or even hide in a corner and cry. In these bouts of crying, we drain ourselves into a dreamless sleep of exhaustion. Then we wake and suddenly things are not as bad as they were when we were crying. Sometimes our outlook completely changes and at other we have found enough energy to make it through our day or even just part of it.

To me, the ability the cry is one of the greatest blessings we have. As children we cry so easily, however, when we get older, we are somehow taught not to cry so much. We need to cry; otherwise we would not have the ability. It is a blessing to have this glue that holds our good and bad memories together. It is also a blessing to have a way to relieve tension, pain, sorrow, or even great amounts of joy, appreciation and love. As much as it may seem like a curse, it is a blessing. It is a blessing that can strength the bonds between two friends and can weaken a wall between to enemies.

I know what it is like to lock back tears because others view it as a sign of weakness. When my grandfather died, a man I respected and loved dearly, I did not cry despite the tears that flooded all around me. Instead, it was the absence of tears that was required. I needed to be a sturdy rock for my mother and sisters. Somewhere inside, I must have been crying, honoring my grandfather’s memory, but yet not a tear slide down my cheek. In many ways, I regret not being able to have shed those lost tears. Even now, due to my up bringing and events in my life, my tears do not flow in times, which they should. It takes a great deal. So, I see crying a blessing when I feel safe and strong enough to let this powerful emotion or ability out.
Tears remind me of the rain. Rain with the right light will refract a rainbow, a sign of hope, faith and peace. Each tear has the ability to refract light and cast a tiny rainbow. Tears, in a way, are the rain of our hearts. The relief our crying brings is our rainbow.

Fallen Angel