How we respond to tragedy is the hallmark of character. Suffering a great loss places us at a spiritual milepost. The wind of our souls can either sour and wither or rejoice and thrive.

Human life is an incongruous combination of tragedy and comedy.

Every person will battle with false pride, a sense of loss and aloneness, and feeling defenseless in a world of endless trauma and tragedy.

A poet warrior realizes both the brutality and the beauty in life, and apprehends that the suffering we tragically endure is partly what makes us human. What also makes us human is the ability to love, the ability to stand in nature’s presence, and to nurture this earthly paradise to tend to our family’s needs.