This Too Shall Pass

I said a couple of posts ago that this was one of my favourite weeks of the year. With the rush of Christmas over, I have usually found that the week leading up to New Year is a time for clearing out stuff we don't need and focussing on plans for the year ahead. Of course you can argue that 1st January is a date like any other, (which of course it is) but I still like the symbolism of using the new year to motivate a fresh start in lots of senses.

Despite that however, I received some bad news last night which made a big dent in the positive feeling I'd been holding on to.

After not much sleep I woke up to be reminded of the phrase "this too shall pass."  These words have been said to me several times in the past and this morning they came to mind, so I looked it up to see where the phrase originated. Apparently the phrase comes from the Persian sufi poets. These days many Jewish people apparently wear a ring with these words engraved inside.

So, at just after eight in the morning, another day is beginning. The sun will rise (eventually) and then it will set again. Niko has just climbed into bed with me and Luca is at the bedroom door already telling me a list of things his brother has done wrong.  The point is, no matter what challenges exist right now, this day will pass just like every other day has passed before it. It will be a tough day for some people, a happy day for others, and a normal one for most. But whatever kind of day it is, it will pass.

No matter how positive we try to be, there are some things that are simply out of our control. Often it's hard to understand why those painful things had to happen at all. But they happen to each and every one of us. I don't know many people who aren't struggling with something or another. So on those days, I guess the trick is to believe that this feeling, however hard it feels, is only temporary, as all the others in the past have been.

Better things are inevitably ahead, and in the wait for those things to appear, all we can do is to try and stay strong - reminding ourselves that indeed - "this too shall pass." Love to you all.