O SON OF MAN!
Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more.

~ Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words #52

For me, this is a nice reminder that those things that bring us happiness and also those that bring us sadness are short-lived.  The things of this world will be only temporary in our lives.  Eventually we will move on to an afterlife in which splendors beyond our imaginations are in store for us.  This does not mean, however, that we are to ignore the good and bad in this world.  We can still enjoy this life, and indeed, we should.  Having grown up near the beach, I frequently think of the ebb and flow of the tides pulling the sands away from the short.  Whether there is a beautifully intricate sand castle, or the unfortunate remnants of a late-night party, the waves will erase all in a matter of hours.

Give me to drink of the river that is life indeed, whose waters have streamed forth from the Paradise (Ridvan) in which the throne of Thy Name, the All-Merciful, was established, that mine eyes may be opened, and my face be illumined, and my heart be assured, and my soul be enlightened, and my steps be made firm.

~ Baha’u'llah, Baha’i Prayer

In this, the last day of Ridvan, we commemorate when Baha’u’llah left the garden as a prophet of God and his true work began.  He had already been a spiritual leader and a follower of the The Báb, but it was during his time waiting in the Garden of Ridvan outside of Baghdad before leaving for Constantinople that his days as a manifestation, as the “Him Whom God shall make manifest” began.  Although it was on the first day that his proclamation began, I find the 12th day to be just as spiritually uplifting because it celebrates when Baha’u’llah left the garden to spread forth God’s message.