“I believe in the sun—even when it does not shine; I believe in love—even when it is not shown; I believe in God—even when He does not speak.” ~ found on a wall of a cellar in a Jewish concentration camp during WWII.

Ah, the human spirit. The final lines remind me of a well-wishing mantra we recite in Buddhism, here.

The full poem:

“I believe in the sun

even when it is not shining

And I believe in love,

even when there’s no one there.

And I believe in God,

even when he is silent.

I believe through any trial,

there is always a way

But sometimes in this suffering

and hopeless despair

My heart cries for shelter,

to know someone’s there

But a voice rises within me, saying hold on

my child, I’ll give you strength,

I’ll give you hope. Just stay a little while.

I believe in the sun

even when it is not shining

And I believe in love

even when there’s no one there

But I believe in God

even when he is silent

I believe through any trial

there is always a way.

May there someday be sunshine

May there someday be happiness

May there someday be love

May there someday be peace…”