The Goodness of Life

Though there is much
to be concerned about,
there is far, far more
for which to be thankful.

Though life's goodness can
at times be overshadowed,
it is never outweighed.

For every single act
that is senselessly destructive,
there are thousands more small, quiet acts
of love, kindness and compassion.

For every person who seeks to hurt,
there are many, many more who
devote their lives to helping and to healing.

There is a goodness to life
that cannot be denied.

In the most magnificent vistas
and in the smallest details,
look closely,
for that goodness always
comes shining through.

There is no limit
to the goodness of life.
It grows more abundant
with each new encounter.
The more you experience and
appreciate the goodness of life
the more there is to be lived.

Even when the cold winds blow
and the world seems to be covered in foggy shadows,
the goodness of life lives on.
Open your eyes,
open your heart,
and you will see that
goodness everywhere.

Though the goodness of life
seems at times to suffer setbacks,
it always endures.

For in the darkest moments
it becomes vividly clear
that life is a priceless treasure.

And so the goodness of life
is made even stronger
by the very things
that would oppose it.

Time and time again
when you feared it was gone forever
you found that
the goodness of life
was really only
a moment away.

Around the next corner
Inside every moment
The goodness of life
Is there to surprise and delight you

Take a moment to let the goodness of life
touch your spirit and calm your thoughts.
Then, share your good fortune with another.
For the goodness of life grows
more and more magnificent
each time it is given away.

Though the problems constantly
scream for attention
and the conflicts appear
to rage ever stronger,
the goodness of life grows stronger still,
quietly, peacefully,
with more purpose and meaning
than ever before.

Vicki Huffman, in PLUS LIVING (Harold Shaw Publishers, 1989), tells about a man who loved to hunt and bought two pedigreed setters that he trained to be fine bird dogs. He kept them in a large, fenced pen in his backyard.

One morning he observed a little bulldog trotting down the alley behind his home. It saw the two dogs and squeezed under the fence. The man thought he should perhaps lock up the setters so they wouldn't hurt the little dog, but changed his mind. Maybe they would "teach that bulldog a lesson," he reasoned.

As he predicted, fur began to fly, and all of it was bulldog fur. The feisty intruder soon had enough and squeezed back under the fence to get away.

To the man's surprise, the visitor returned again the next morning. He crawled under the fence and once again took on the tag-team of setters. And like the day before, he soon quit and squeezed out of the pen.

The incident was repeated the following day, with the same results.

The man left early the next morning on a business trip and returned after several weeks. He asked his wife what finally became of the bulldog.

"You won't believe it," she replied. "At the same time every day that little dog came to the backyard and fought with our setters. He never missed a day! It has come to the point now that when our setters simply hear him snorting down the alley, they start whining and run down into the basement. Then the little bulldog struts around our backyard as if he owns it."

How do you manage those problems you encounter daily? I don't mean that we must fight with them, but do you persistently take them on until you persevere?

Dale Carnegie made this observation: "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." In the end, it's the persistent bulldog that will own the backyard.