The saddest things are always connected in some way to what is most beautiful, most joyful, most sacred. We weep over the loss of what is most worth possessing. So then, to spurn grief is to diminish the value and meaning of life. When we suppress our tears, we suppress acknowledging just how precious the gifts of creation truly are. A broken marriage is worthy of sorrow. Likewise, estrangement from friends or family deserves heartache. In fact, it is only from within these anguished places that we can fully see the treasures God has given. Just as absence can make the heart grow fonder, grief can fill the heart with worship. Jesus knew this and so let his great sorrows wash over him. He wept often, whenever the loss of something worthy cried out for it. And from his vantage point behind these many tears, he learned to see the world and the people in it for all they are -- lovely, needy, tender. Being familiar with grief taught Jesus to love.