I’ve learned to embrace sadness at times.

Not always. It’s important to discern when sadness is unhealthy and when it is natural and even healing. And there are times it feels nearly impossible to see beyond where we are. We can’t imagine getting beyond the moment, let alone appreciate it as an important part of a process.

But sometimes it is an important part of the process. Sometimes we can see its importance even if it is a brief glimpse in a moment.

There have been times in the past months when my sadness was overwhelming. All I could do was sob, often curled up in a ball, struggling to breathe.

But there have been other, more recent, sad moments and days. The tears still stream, almost without warning. I still have to remind myself to breathe. But there is something else: a reflection along the path I’ve walked, purpose in the process, the knowledge from experience that I have survived. The reminder that I can thrive in the future.

Knowing I was having a rough day, a friend checked on me. I replied, “I’m sad but I think I just needed to let some of it sink in deeper and let God heal me deeper.” With that admission and reminder, I grew.

Sometimes sinking deeper exposes us to deeper healing.