sorrow and joy...

sorrow and joy

"Sorrow prepares you for joy.
It violently sweeps everything
out of your house,
so that new joy can find space to enter.
It shakes the yellow leaves
from the bough of your heart,
so that fresh, green leaves
can grow in their place.
It pulls up the rotten roots,
so that new roots hidden beneath
have room to grow.
Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart,
far better things will take their place."
- Rumi