No Reason To Cry

Recently I dreamed that I was in the bathroom of my home, preparing for the day, when suddenly I was struck by a sadness. In my mind I saw some faces of friends and familiar folk, and in these faces I also recognized a sadness. This sadness showed not so much in the expressions on these faces—it was more like an aura that came through them. Nor was the sadness of these individuals something specific and separate to each one—it was something shared, and yet unnamable, something without a certain source which was nevertheless certain. It felt essential.

Being filled with this sadness, I felt an impulse to cry. But this impulse was tinged with doubt. Then I heard within me what I once heard a radio evangelist describe as a "strong small voice," which told me not to cry. Crying would be an indulgence that would not relieve the situation, but would rather weaken me, and make me less able to assist others in bearing this sadness.

This made sense to me, and I decided not to cry.



.