Look for Beauty

With the sun shining and not being able to enjoy it (headache and vertigo), I thought I'd jot down something that I found to be very poignant in The Diary of Anne Frank.
Is the cup half empty or half full? Are you an optimist or a pessimist? I think Anne Frank was knocking on the door of the difference between these types of individuals as she makes a comment about seeking the beautiful in life.
"As long as people feel that kind of happiness within themselves, the joy of nature, health and much more besides, they'll always be able to recapture that happiness.
"Riches, prestige, everything can be lost. But the happiness in your own heart can only be dimmed; it will always be there, as long as you live, to make you happy again.
"Whenever you're feeling lonely or sad, try going to the loft on a beautiful day and looking outside. Not at the houses and the rooftops, but at the sky. As long as you look fearlessly at the sky, you'll know that you're pure within and will find happiness once more." (p. 198)
I love this. She also comments on how her mother counsels their friend to look at those who are worse off to get out of self-pity. Anne counters that it isn't looking at how bad someone else has it as you may end up being there one day yourself. Instead, recognize the good and the beautiful in the world and know that it is there to uplift and sustain. Anne is definitely being an optimist here with her cup half-full of sunshine and hope! She should have given this information to Edna in Kate Chopin's The Awakening. It would have saved her life...literally!
It's so important to find the good in life instead of snuggling down into dark clouds for comfort. The joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ isn't in the sorrow and sadness of the world, but of the redemption He provides for each one of us. We see this evidence in beautiful days like today. God loves us and wants us to have joy!