seeking the positive

“Seek out the positive and let the negative fall to the wayside.”
-Papa Joe-

These were my daddy’s words to me this morning as he imparted his wisdom and encouragement to walk with me through this day. What true and wise words these are. In many different forms, this message of finding the positive and letting go of the negative has interspersed my week. I have received beautiful letters from friends far and near, old and new, speaking their own words of wisdom and offering their own love and support. These words have guided me through a week of deep pain, mounting frustrations, and personal introspection.
Amidst the bad, I have found the good. Amidst the darkness, I have seen the sun beaming down it’s brilliant rays of warmth.
There are many things in life which we cannot control. Becoming aware of our lack of control and learning to accept it, is one of the hardest tasks any of us encounter. But it is an essential task. To realize that those things beyond our control may only change in their own right, to acknowledge our own vulnerability and helplessness in these situations, and to have the courage to embrace our own selves rather than fruitlessly trying to change that which is not ours to change. And yet even in these situations, we can choose to allow ourselves to embrace some feelings and to let go of others. To release some reactions and to know that some reactions are better left to be freed in solitude and then relinquished.
And so it is with this mindset, this attitude of acceptance, that I choose to walk out into the world today and see the hidden beams of sunlight. Beneath the pouring rain, behind the steely gray skies, there is a beauty that awaits us all.
May we all be able to find the positive and let the negative fall away. May we all choose to accept our limitations and embrace ourselves, to own that which is ours and release the desire to change that which is not ours.
May we all choose to see the beauty in today.