Is the oak tree burdened by the spanish moss that adorns it?
My dad used to say to us, "You are the joy of my declining years."
(He was in his 40's when he said this!)
Twenty odd years earlier, he was a young father of 4 children under 4 years of age,
and without a job.
Burdens to be sure.
If you really pay attention to your life and your love,
then you recognize that your burdens are somehow connected to your source for joy.
Tipping the balance toward joy is strongly encouraged,
and can soften the edges of difficulties,
like the spanish moss in the trees.
Blue Spring State Park, Florida