Pain and Joy: a Natural Pairing

21st April, 2011 - Posted by Colleen - No Comments

Spring rains bring such vibrant renewal to the earth.
The tiniest and perhaps the ugliest shrub magically blossoms into a lush verdant foliage.
Yet Spring is not without its storms. The Bay Area is testament to that. One day we have a cozy warm sunny day, the next is filled with black clouds bursting with rain.

The human story is not unlike Spring. A baby is born while a loved one passes away. A couple celebrates their wedding while the mother of the groom is under going chemotherapy for the seventh time. Pain and Joy are not immune to one another. They occur on parallel tracks, often traveling together, hand in hand.

How does one live in this space of two distinct and powerful emotions?

Walking through the Pain toward Renewal and Hope.

I am still struck by rainbows. Its fabric and nature is dependent on the rain and the sun. Its essence is the reflection of light alone. If it were not for the rainy darkness would there ever be a need for renewal?
If it were not for the sunlight, would we ever hope?

-Colleen Lam Nguyen, M.A., MFT Intern