Gilpin Observer

Don't Look for the Flaws.

Don't look for flaws as you go through life;
And even when you find them
It is wise and kind to be somewhat blind,
And look for the virtue behind them.

For the cloudiest night has a hint of the light
Somewhere in its shadows hiding;
It is better far to hunt for a star
Than the spots on the sun abiding.

The current of life runs every way
To the bosom of God's great ocean;
Don't set your force against the river's course
And think to alter its motion.

Don't waste a curse on the universe:
Remember it lived before you;
Don't butt at the storm with your puny form,
But bend, let it fly o'er you.

The world will never adjust itself
To suit your whim to the letter;
Some things must go wrong your whole life long,
And the sooner you know it the better.

It is folly to fight with the Infinite,
And go under at last in the wrestle;
The wiser man shapes into God's plan,
As the water shapes into the vessel.

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox in Progressive Age.