Joy Gives Us Wings

O SON OF MAN! Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more. (The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh)

My dear mamma often uses the analogy, “life is like a ferris wheel,”. (Though sometimes she mistakes and says, “circle.”) Her reasoning basically, is that there will always be ups and downs. You can’t always be happy (at the top) nor will you always remain unhappy (on bottom). Of course, like all advice we don’t want to hear, I’d often let this ‘circle business’ slide in through one ear and out the other. Today however, i firmly believe it. Because when I look back on my life, it is exactly this. A crazy wild ferris wheels of joy and sorrow and joy and sorrow and joy again. Currently (though I realise, temporarily) I am enjoying the most joyous and serene view of Autumnal Nashville.
Factory at Franklin: an old factory turned shopping complex. 
Acai bowl lunch from Franklin Juice Co.
Okay, so THIS is Halloween! NZ has much catching up to do!

These pumpkin markets seem to be around every corner!

Remember my giant watermelon pic? Same same!In this world we are influenced by two sentiments, Joy and Pain.

Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. But when sadness visits us we become weak, our strength leaves us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence veiled. The actualities of life seem to elude our grasp, the eyes of our spirits fail to discover the sacred mysteries, and we become even as dead beings.

There is no human being untouched by these two influences; but all the sorrow and the grief that exist come from the world of matter—the spiritual world bestows only the joy!
If we suffer it is the outcome of material things, and all the trials and troubles come from this world of illusion.

For instance, a merchant may lose his trade and depression ensues. A workman is dismissed and starvation stares him in the face. A farmer has a bad harvest, anxiety fills his mind. A man builds a house which is burnt to the ground and he is straightway homeless, ruined, and in despair.

All these examples are to show you that the trials which beset our every step, all our sorrow, pain, shame and grief, are born in the world of matter; whereas the spiritual Kingdom never causes sadness. A man living with his thoughts in this Kingdom knows perpetual joy. The ills all flesh is heir to do not pass him by, but they only touch the surface of his life, the depths are calm and serene. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá)