We all have dark days—and nights. Sometimes they last a day or two, other time the months slog by and it seems as if morning never comes. The black clothes in which we dress our bodies reflect the dark attire of our hearts.

In one of those times for me, I received lots of helpful directions. Some of them were appreciated, some of them were not. Some of the comments turned out to be true even when they rolled too easily off the tongues of those who shared them.

One such comment was: “This too shall pass.” When I would despair of the density of the dark, I would comfort myself with those words. Even when it was hard, they reminded me that this feeling isn’t for always. I could hold on to the hope that dawn would someday come. I could feel some relief.

But, I have found that I am using that phase when the sun shines too. “This too shall pass.” I remind myself that the experience of beauty and grace that accompanies so many days of my life will not be here forever either. The gift of friendship is but a blip in time. The love of my wife is for the time we have. The ability to hear the strains of the symphony will fade with age. Seeing the face of my grandchild as she matures won’t last forever.

And when I say it with the wind whipping through my hair and the voice of Billy Joel blasting from my car radio, my heart breaks open in appreciation. I can’t hold on to it, but I can bow to it as it passes through my life. Grace comes in glimpses so i let it flood my soul. Because, “this too shall pass.”