A Message of Hope for Those Who've Come by Way of Sorrow

One day, I came across a folk supergroup called "Cry Cry Cry".  Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky,
and Dar Williams had come together for a short time.  They displayed their harmonies while covering everyone from REM to the country singer Julie Miller.  It was the cover of Miller's "By Way of Sorrow" that caught my eye (in fact, my ear).

The track was talking to people who have come through times of trouble, and it would tell them of how they will reach a point of happiness.  There are verses that speak about being left behind.  There are verses that speak of times without any sense of joy.  But it's in the refrain that even when our journeys are at their darkest, we must have faith that the divine (or just in the universe) that we will find strength to reach the times of joy that we're meant to find.  Be it destiny, or just what's meant for human nature.

Given the current events in the news, the first concept that came to mind while listening to the lyrics were the homeless of the world and the refugees who seek nothing but peace and a safe place to live. Some may (in abstaining from alcohol) not literally identify with a lyric like "drunk a bitter wine", but it's the metaphor and greater meaning of the song that is universal.  That's something that I find particularly uplifting in some contemporary Christian songs by artists like Julie Miller and Joy Williams.  In many of these cases, the songs aren't trying to drive people to extremely conservative church groups.  Instead, it's to spread a message to generations who've become jaded or depressed.  We live in times when so many people think that the existence of anything or anyone mystical has been disproven through lack of concrete evidence.  However, when people (even together) reach an obstacle that discourages them, the best source of strength can often be the faith in a more powerful force which has confidence in them.

It was through a documentary about Julie Miller that I learned about the hardships that she's faced, and how spirituality led her to safety and happiness.  Her biological father had been the victim of abuse, and (in turn) victimized Miller's mother, creating a dynamic at home that was full of anxiety and fear.  Even after leaving her father, what had happened early on continued to affect her life as a young adult.  She couldn't properly deal with her emotions, and at a particular time of innocent naiveté, she was sexually assaulted.  She would try self-medicating as a means of comfort in that long dark tunnel.  In a newfound form of faith, she found peace.

Here's hoping that in times of struggle, we can remind ourselves that better times are ahead.  Here's hoping that when met with belligerence or people trying to force us to feel inferior, that we can show compassion (while neither stooping to their level or giving in to their will).