April 23 2026

When Joy and Sorrow Travel Together

Coming home from a trip like the Keys always takes some adjusting. After months of tiny house living, I returned to Georgia, to an overgrown yard, a pile of mail, and tasks that made me feel behind before I stepped inside.

But this time, returning home was heavier than usual. As I was making my way home, I heard about the deaths of two pillars in our community. One dear friend succumbed after a long, debilitating illness; the other friend was taken from us suddenly.

I was ready to settle into a rhythm of writing, riding, and family time. Yet, coming home for funerals weighed heavily on my heart. Funerals make me think about what really matters. They felt like celebrations of lives well lived—friends who left joy behind, even in grief.

Coming home reminded me of my early return from my West Coast trip. I thought coming home meant a dream interrupted. Instead, I was home in time for two funerals, a great-niece’s birthday, and the birth of another great-niece. Joy and sorrow traveled together then, and they are together again today.

Ecclesiastes 3 says there is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Sometimes, those times overlap. In the space between Finding Joy in the West and Finding Joy in the East, I learned detours can take me where I most need to be.

Coming home has reminded me that joy is not the absence of sorrow. Often, they walk side by side. Have you ever looked back on a detour and realized it brought you to a place you didn’t want to be, but ultimately was the very place you needed to be?