There was a post recently about 'holding a poem in our body'. Here's one of the poem's I keep treasured in a golden nook of my mind written by Charles Mackay.

Oh you tears,

I'm thankful that you run.

Though you trickle in the darkness,

You shall glitter in the sun.

The rainbow could not shine if the rain refused to fall;

And the eyes that cannot weep are the saddest eyes of all.

Emotional tears differ chemically from tears caused by an irritant, such as an onion. According to biochemist Dr William Frey II, an expert on crying, emotional tears contain a greater concentration of protein than irritant induced tears do.

Now I'm no scientist and so I don't actually know what this means for our bodies. What does seem pretty certain however is that crying does seem to relieve emotional stresses such as grief and sorrow.

Squash down the tears often enough though and it becomes harder and harder to cry freely. Like the poem says-it's the eyes that cannot weep that are the saddest eyes of all.

I watch the film Bright Star when I need to unleash pent up tears.

So don't be afraid of tears and definitely don't apologise for them.

Henry Maudsley wisely said: The sorrow which has no vent in tears may make other organs weep.