transmute

i typically choose a breath prayer to accompany my days; a way to pray while i'm busy that i can return to.  when thinking about one for advent i was surprised that "jesus wept" came to mind.  at first thought it seemed at odds with the "happiest time of the year". 

the more i ponder this, however, the more i realize that our capacity for sorrow is the very thing that enables our joy.  the full range of emotions that make us human not only open us up to all of life's experiences, but make us more authentic and welcoming of others to embody and share theirs.

i wonder if perhaps, when we are truly happy, if this is not an invitation to better hold the sorrows of others?  

the word "transmute" has been following me around lately.  by definition, "to change the form, character, or substance of, to elevate".  synonyms such as transform or alchemize.

the pressure to "be happy" if we're not seems like a slippery slope to repression, among other things.  but transmutation seems to tell a different story.

recently i watched two seemingly unconnected documentaries and realized this thread of transmutation running through both of them.  

the first:  american symphony about music star jon batiste's composing during his wife's bone marrow transplant.  and the second audrey about the life of hollywood icon audrey hepburn.

what strikes me about both of them is not the hardships they face but how they face them.  they are real people who experience real heartbreak and still choose love.  their lives are a testament of choosing, despite the traumas, love over and over again.

if you watch these, would love to hear your comments!