"They made me see that the world was beautiful if you were beautiful, and that you couldn't get unless you gave. And you had to give without wanting to get."
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
I read these words this morning, and was touched by their beautiful simplicity. Isn't it true that when we are good and kind, the world seems a more beautiful place? Not neccessarily happier, or better - just more beautiful for all its flaws. And isn't it far sweeter to receive something for which we have worked and sacrificed?
Nate, Laura and I actually went to Church this morning. We are not frequent Church-goers, though we are trying to be better. It is the first Sunday of Lent, and the priest's sermon was about The Temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden. I was surprised to hear the elderly man, supported at the pulpit by a walker, speak of the goodness that came of the fall. Ok, sure. Adam and Eve brought sin into our world. But it also allowed Adam and Eve to truly see the goodness all around them for the first time. He said, "We are only completely free from temptation and sin for about 500 seconds before we die."
So yes. There is evil in this world. But there is also goodness and beauty. I'd like to see more of the beauty - in myself and in the world around me.
