The path of hope is often long and rarely straight. Hope emerges from the darkest moments of grief and loss with unexpected twists and turns while urging us toward the light.
How do you move toward hope?
Journey to hope
Shimmering
Perhaps it takes
a lifetime
to open our eyes,
to learn to see
what has forever
shimmered in front of us —
Jan Richardson, Where the Light Begins
What shimmers before you?
Winter wilderness
When our spirits have grown cold, send us the warmth of the Holy Spirit. Rekindle the flame of love within us. ~ Claudia Mair Burney
How do you rekindle?
The hill we climb
When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
…
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace
And the norms and notions
of what just is
Isn’t always just-ice
…
When day comes we step out of the shade
aflame and unafraid
The new day blooms as we free it
For there is always light
if only we’re brave enough to see it,
if only we’re brave enough to be it.
~ Amanda Gorman, excerpts from Inauguration Poem 2021
Are you brave enough?
Fireflies
The light of fireflies grows and glows underground for 300 days before emerging transformed into the summer night. Rising on its wings, its light, long hidden, released to dance under midnight stars.
What light nurtured within you is ready to illumine the night?
Enough light
“How will next year be for me? Where will I be five or ten years from now?” There are no answers to these questions. Mostly we have just enough light to see the next step: what we have to do in the coming hour or the following day. The art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark. When we are able to take the next step with the trust that we will have enough light for the step that follows, we can walk through life with joy and be surprised at how far we go. Let’s rejoice in the little light we carry and not ask for the great beam that would take all shadows away.” Henri Nouwen
How much light is enough this New Year?
With the Eyes of the Heart 