" 'As long as this exists,' I thought, 'and I may live to see it, this sunshine, the cloudless skies, while this lasts, I cannot be unhappy." The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles." 
I was recently rereading The Diary of Anne Frank, and I was touched by the paragraph above. Anne, a 13 year old Jewish girl, and her family were forced into hiding by the Nazis during World War II. They were in hiding for two years in hidden rooms in her father's office building. During that long period of time, Anne was never allowed to leave the rooms and could only peek out through a couple of tiny windows. It was then that she penned the words above. She strove to keep a positive attitude through peering out at the little bit of nature she could see and to keep her mind upon the joy of being outside in the midst of it.
I cannot ever imagine being in such circumstances, nor can I imagine the difficulty I would have keeping a positive outlook if I were. I do know, however, that I, like Anne, understand that love for nature and the experience of a deep joy and peaceful solace when I am in the midst of the simple beauty of it. It is a beautiful reflection of God, the Creator, and reminds me of the very One Who cares for us so deeply. Being alone with the heavens, nature, and God, as Anne so eloquently put it, makes "one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy..."
- the solace of nature (46)
- sunshine (45)
- cloudless skies (44)
- windows looking out into God's amazing creation (43)
I love photos of open windows. :) That was a lovely post.
ReplyDeletethanks, eva! i, too, love window shots and am always on the lookout for interesting ones! :) perhaps the saying 'the eyes are the windows of the soul' is actually 'the windows are the eyes of the soul'? as in, it is through these which we see...? :)
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