“The work of the mature person is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and to be stretched large by them.
How much sorrow can I hold?
That’s how much gratitude I can give.
If I carry only grief I will bend toward cynicism and despair. If I have only gratitude I will become saccharine and won’t develop much compassion for other people’s suffering.
Grief keeps the heart fluid and soft
which helps make gratitude possible.”

– Francis Weller