"We can't control what life hands to us. But we can respond with respect, compassion, and kindness. We can honor our sadness without needing to know why. Sadness and grief are natural, normal, necessary parts of life. All they need is to be acknowledged and expressed. Sadness guides us down to our bellies and reconnects us with our deepest truth. . . .

"Sadness is a precious gift. It forms the river to carry us forward into whatever's next in our lives. It tells us immediately, irrevocably, what is really important to us. It brings us closer to ourselves. If we stop resisting it and surrender to its wisdom, it can melt our hearts wide open. Like a rainbow at the end of a downpour, sadness reconnects us with tremendous joy."