Your joy is your sorrow unmasked
And the selfsame
well from which your
laughter rises
was oftentimes filled
with your tears

Kahlil Gibran

The fate of man prepares happy moments,
not happy times

Nietzche

The supreme happiness of life
is the conviction that we are loved

Victor Hugo

To conquer a joy is more valuable
than giving oneself up to a sorrow

André Gide

God has more love and mercy
than a man can ever sin against

N. Lenau

Serenity is neither frivolity
nor complacency
it is the highest knowledge
and love
it is the affirmation of all reality
being awake at the edge
of all deeps and abysses
Serenity is the secret of beauty
and the real substance
of all art

Hermann Hesse

Sandy Bottoms
original painting by JP2001

Caressa 2001