Joy Through Heartbreak

There is something undeniable that rises in the face of shared pain when people come together. We saw it in the exhausted lungs, the aching bodies, the shouting voices. But what stayed with us was not just the protest. It was the joy. Joy that emerged not in spite of suffering but through it. Not as escape, but as deep presence with one another. What if joy, instead of a refuge or relief from heartbreak, is what effloresces from us as we help each other carry our heartbreaks? That kind of joy is not passive. It’s contagious. It becomes a force that binds us in common love. It creates openings. It sharpens what matters. And it may be the most trustworthy guide we have toward our shared survival.

May joy arise not as escape,
but as the shared strength that carries our heartbreaks
and leads us toward collective healing.

(inspired by Danté Stewart, Shoutin’ in the Fire; Ross Gay, Inciting Joy)