benandsteve.com

By Benjamin GroffMedia© | benandsteve.com | 2025 Truth Endures©

---

“The Curious Friendship of Happy Goines and Sorrow Downs”

There once was a boy named Happy Goines. Not a soul could understand why he was always so terribly sad. His name sparkled like sunshine, but his face wore clouds. He dragged his feet to school. He sighed during recess. He stared out windows like he was watching for something that never came.

No one knew what made Happy so downcast. His parents loved him. His teachers were kind. But he always seemed to carry some invisible weight.

That is, until the day he met Sorrow Downs.

Sorrow was a new kid, just moved to town from a place no one could pronounce. He had the kind of grin that made your face smile back before you even realized it. His laugh was sudden and contagious. Even his freckles looked cheerful.

The teacher introduced him to the class. She said his name aloud—“Class, this is Sorrow Downs”. Everyone waited for a gloomy face or quiet voice. But instead, Sorrow waved both hands and said, “Nice to meet you! I love your shoes!” even though he hadn’t looked at anyone’s feet.

The kids chuckled. Except for Happy, who simply blinked.

At lunch, Sorrow sat across from Happy. Sorrow plopped a jelly sandwich on the table. It looked like a gold trophy.

“You look sad,” Sorrow said matter-of-factly.

“I am,” Happy replied.

Sorrow tilted his head. “But your name’s Happy.”

“I didn’t choose it,” Happy said with a shrug.

Sorrow grinned. “Well, I didn’t choose mine either. Imagine being named Sorrow and feeling like I do! Every day feels like a birthday to me!”

Happy cracked the tiniest smile.

“Tell you what,” Sorrow said, pulling a folded paper from his pocket. “Wanna try trading names for a day?”

Happy blinked. “We can’t just—”

“Why not? Who’s stopping us?” Sorrow stood on his chair and declared, “I am Happy Goines today! And this,” he said pointing down, “is Sorrow Downs!”

Some kids giggled. One clapped.

From that moment, something began to shift.

All day long, “Happy” Sorrow told jokes, made up songs, and danced down the hall. And “Sorrow” Happy, for the first time in ages, felt joy in laughing with someone. It was a different experience from laughing at something.

The two became inseparable.

They swapped shoes, lunches, and names whenever they felt like it. One day they were “Joy and Misery.” Another day, “Up and Down.” They learned that feelings didn’t always have to match what people expected.

One day Happy asked, “Aren’t you ever sad, Sorrow?”

Sorrow thought for a moment. “Sometimes. But I don’t stay there. I just let the sad walk beside me until it’s ready to go.”

And Happy nodded like it was the truest thing he’d ever heard.

As the months passed, Happy wasn’t always happy, and Sorrow wasn’t always cheerful. But together they built a friendship where feelings were safe. Names didn’t define you. A good laugh could turn an ordinary Tuesday into something extraordinary.

You might hear two boys shouting new names if you walk past the old schoolyard now. They could be called Sunshine and Thunder, or Giggles and Grumps. They laugh like the whole world belongs to them.

And maybe, in a way, it does.