They are wonderful surprises. They fill our lives with unlooked for joy. But, of course, they do not last. They come and they go. They undulate like the very pulse of life itself. When they go, what ought our mindset be? We can be overwhelmed with sorrow and regret that they are over. But by trying to cling to what was once freely given and now gone, we miss the point. We will certainly experience grief that what brought us such unexpected joy is gone. Tears may well flow. Still, I believe God would have us rejoice rather that they occurred at all. That they brought us that unlooked for joy and graced our lives while they did. Rather than mourn unduly, let us be thankful! Let us praise the Lord of surprises who has blessed us with unanticipated joys and wait upon Him with eagerness for what He may yet have up his sleeve that we've not begun to imagine. With Him, there is always more. And so we have the grace to be thankful for the past and to call to mind the blessings enjoyed as often as we wish, to be peaceful in the present knowing that in this life we "have no continuing city," and to look with anticipation toward unknown vistas in the future. I think on this matter Stoicism and Christianity walk arm in arm. Just imagine that what you have so enjoyed might never ever have been and you will thank God feverntly that you got to experience it at all. He is indeed a great Lover of Mankind and He has filled the journey to our Father's house with "easter eggs" of joy that ever await our discovery and whose delight only grows as we receive, enjoy, and let them go with grace.
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