The ideals which have lighted me on my way, and time after time given me courage to face life cheerfully, have been truth, goodness, and beauty. — Albert Einstein (1879-1955) Physicist
‘Tis the season. The hecticness of the holidays require and result in an interesting pair of qualities. In order to get through them we need to buck up our Fortitude and glaze it all with Cheerfulness.
Best wishes,
Jim
CHEERFUL
Definitions: (1) full of good spirits; animated; full of life; joyful; (2) having a bright attitude; contagious merriment; (3) willing; hearty; (4) likely to dispel gloom or worry
Synonyms: blithe, bonny, buoyant, glad, happy, lively, pleasant, sprightly, sunny
Music: “Whistle While You Work” — Frank Churchill (1901-1942) & Leigh Harline (1907-1969) American Composers
Proverb: A cheerful heart causes good healing. — The Bible, Proverbs 17:22
Quotes:
The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer somebody else up. — Mark Twain [born Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835-1910) Mark Twain’s Notebook
Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never come. — James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) American Romantic Poet
Comment: When you are doing what you “know” you are supposed to be doing, you can be in a sublime state of cheerfulness, even if the outside circumstances point to some other emotion. I believe Christ on the cross was in a state of divine cheerfulness, even in the face of apparent failure and excruciating pain, because he was intensely aware he was doing what the Father’s will.
Color: yellow
FORTITUDE
Definition: strength of mind in the face of pain, adversity, or peril; patient courage
Derivation: Latin, “strong,” “powerful”
Comment: It is by facing stress, conflict, difficulty, and problems that you acquire the qualities of strength, fortitude, and bravery.
