I’ve been thinking more this week about how much of a mix our lives can be; a moment of happiness juxtaposed against one of grief or despair.

This weekend, for example. I had a gratifying experience bringing the morning message at worship in Orland, then drove home to learn that my son’s wife had served him with divorce papers.

Should the unhappy news cancel out the good feelings? The experience of the morning was still valid and deserving of feelings of satisfaction and yet I felt nothing but pain for my son.

Can pain and joy coexist? I found myself swooping from one emotion to the next throughout the day, depending upon my thoughts at the moment.

Emotions are powerful but fickle. They may color our reality, but we must remember that they shouldn’t change it.

It is good to remember, too, how quickly our circumstances can change. We can savor the good times to carry us through the bad.

At least that’s how I feel right now.