Hope Comes Full Circle

As May comes to a close we reflect on the value of hope in our lives. If there is anything we wish to accomplish in our lives we typically begin with hope. It is the core or all that we set out to do. In reflection of our first day of May our goal was to demonstrate how hope is to purpose as air is to life. Hope breaths air into our dreams and allows them to come to life.

Hope offers us the belief of possibilities in things that have yet to happen. It enables us to overcome our fears and face odds others thought impossible. Hope is the seed that is planted in our thoughts and allows us to pursue our hearts content.

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tunes without the words, and never stops at all. ~ Emily Dickinson

Hope...is the companion of power, and the mother of success; for who so hopes has within him the gift of miracles. ~ Samuel Smiles

Hope Found In A Fortune Cookie

Today was my mothers 65th birthday. For her birthday she went to the casino and played slots. While there she won over $3,000 which was at the perfect time considering she just had to have eye surgery that cost $5,000. This is always the way it works with my mom. If she gets a good fortune in a fortune cookie then it is going to come true. She creates her own good fortune. Whenever something happens that knocks her down she goes to the casino and for her she is able to turn $50 into $1000 or more.
The key to her success is she always goes there with a mind set that she will find her lucky machine and it is going to be her lucky night. Although she has her nights when luck isn’t on her side, there are more nights she wins then nights she doesn’t.

Our mind set helps us to create our opportunities to look for the yes instead of the no to seek possibilities and discover our potential. Sometimes the power of the fortune cookie isn’t so much the ability to create or predict the future as much as it is to empower us with hope. It opens our minds to the potential of what can be and for us to start looking for it that potential. That to me is the power of hope in a Fortune Cookie…

Hope's Balancing Act

Sometimes life is like a balancing act between the good things and the bad that happen in our lives. We are challenged to remain hopeful when it seems that Murphy’s Law has tipped the scales of justice to the bad side. It is at these times when we need hope the most. We need to have a bright hope that there is more good to be found than bad and that if we did not experience anything disappointing, difficult or unpleasant we would never have on the other side the experience to know the difference when life is going smoothly and all seems good. The forces of nature or the universe are not out to get us when things don’t go as planned. It is these experiences that let us realize the fullness of hope and happiness.

Hope Transforms

Just when the caterpiller thought the wold was over, it became a butterfly ~ Unknown

There are moments in life that it appears things aren’t going the way we had planned. If we look at history there are numerous examples of individuals that transformed from failure into success.


Henry Ford In 1899 the young mechanic and engineer started the Detroit Automobile Company with the backing of three prominent politicians. Ford hadn't quite mastered the innovation and production techniques that would eventually make him rich, though. Over the next two years, Ford proved to be too much of a perfectionist, and his plant only produced 20 cars as he painstakingly tinkered with designs.

The enterprise went bankrupt in 1901 and reorganized into the Henry Ford Company later that year. Ford eventually left that group and finally got things right in 1903, when he founded the Ford Motor Company.

Walt Disney His name may be a stalwart brand today, but early in his career, Disney was just a struggling filmmaker with too many bills. In 1922 he started his first film company with a partner in Kansas City, Kansas.

The two men bought a used camera and made short advertising films and cartoons under the studio name Laugh-O-Gram. Disney even signed a deal with a New York company to distribute the films he was producing. That arrangement didn't work out so well, though, as the distributor cheated Disney's studio.

Without the distributor's cash, Disney couldn't cover his overhead, and his studio went bankrupt in 1923. He then left Kansas City for Hollywood, and after a series of increasingly successful creations, Disney debuted a new character named Mickey Mouse in 1928.

Sometimes we have to be willing to keep trying to risk everything to discover success. As the butterfly leaves behind what is was in order to become a butterfly. We must sometimes let go of what we have to get what we want. Hope transforms.

Optimism & Hope

Hope and optimism go hand-in-hand. The dictionary.com definition of the word optimism is as follows.


op•ti•mism op-tuh-miz-uh m

–noun

1. a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.

2. the belief that good ultimately predominates over evil in the world.

3. the belief that goodness pervades reality.

An optimistic approach to all problems can keep us in a state of hope. If we can search for and find goodness in all situations we can find hope.

There is a fable about a set of identical twins. One finds hope in all things, the other is the opposite, a true pessimist. The worried parents took the twins to a psychologist and followed his instructions. On their next birthday they put the twins in separate room to open their presents. The optimist was given a box for manure. The pessimist was given the best toys and gifts – a computer, toy car, etc. When the pessimist opened his gifts he was sure the computer would just break and the car wasn’t as good as the one his friend had. They looked in on the optimistic child and found he was thrilled with his huge box of manure. When asked why he was so happy with that gift, he replied, “Where there is this much manure there must be a pony!” Hope is being able to find the source of every good gift.

Remembering Hope

History can teach us so much.  The one thing it can teach us the most is that hope has power.  Throughout our own history there are moments when life wasn't going according to plan. When we had doubt over how a situation would work out.  There are periods of time that we doubt we will ever be happy again.  That life will offer some ray of sunlight behind the emotion we are feeling at any given moment.  However, if we move forward and have hope it always does. 

If we move on to history we again see hope.  In almost every battle there are periods of doubt will we win?  Periods of time when the economy seems to be at its worst.  Then there is a shift and things swing back around to the positive.  Life teaches us if we have hope and move towards that hope there is almost always another path to take.  A new opportunity.  So in moments of doubt, reflect on your history.  Realize that things can always get better if you remain hopeful. 

Our Purpose, Our Hope

Earlier this month we compared hope to our purpose and recognizing that purpose as being as vital as the air we breathe. When I was reading a magazine article about Mike Rowe who started the series “Dirty Jobs” I learned that he began exploring the dirty jobs other people did to make everyone’s lives more pleasant. He decided to do this because his grandfather was one of those men who could do anything. He could fix what needed repair whether it was electrical, mechanical, plumbing related or all of the above. Mike Rowe felt that this kind of honest, hard work so important to us all, and the people who completed it, were not given the credit they deserved. Talk about purposeful work! Where would we be without the sewer repair guys or the chicken farmers of the world?

Our own work may not be as dirty, but we all hope it will be as meaningful. Mike Rowe talked about his own transition from working for a paycheck to loving the work he does so much that he rarely takes a day off. May we all find meaning in our work – our vocation or our mission– and have hope that our purpose for doing it has an equally meaningful place in the lives of others.

Hope To Find Our Own Greatness

“How do we inspire ourselves to greatness? We must exceed our own expectations.” ~ Invictus

As children we are taught to believe. Believe that reindeers fly and elves build toys. Believe in the Easter Bunny, Fairy Tales and that someday we could be anything. It is possible to be a famous actor, the president or a major athlete. We aren’t given limitations; instead our dreams are encouraged through stories, movies and dreams.

Somewhere this all disappears. We are taught about limitations and are flooded with news about what is wrong in society. We begin to doubt what life has to offer and even worse we begin to doubt ourselves and our own potential.
“I am the master of my fate the captain of my soul.” ~ Henley, William Ernest

However, there is hope. Inside every successful person is a person that overcame their own doubt. They realized they were the master of their own destiny and the captain of their own soul. They focused on what was possible not impossible. They took action toward attaining their dreams and with each action a new opportunity was born.

Our success is within our own hands. It is up to us what we do with it, the choice to pursue our dreams with all our heart. To be open to the potential opportunities that arise or to find reasons we must settle. To find opportunities or to look for what is wrong instead of what can be. Hope inspires us and enables us to become the person we are meant to be.

The Tides of Hope

Hope may come in cycles like the tide.  Sometimes it seems far off and there is a stretch of beach between it and the waves that it seems out of reach. Other times hope is high on the shore and catches up to us like the incoming tide that encroaches on the dry beach.  But just like the beach we may have to walk out a little further to reach the waves of hope and sometimes it finds us.  Whatever the case, hope is within our reach and that which gives us despair can be washed away if we find the hope.

positively present

positively present

Hope Illuminates

In every life there are moments of darkness and doubt. There are minutes, hours or days that we may be faced with fear. Like darkness that weights us down and keeps us from seeing. Every life, ever moment no matter how dark it may seem has the potential to touch a life. A flicker of hope can illuminate something larger than anyone could have ever imagined possible. Organizations like Make A Wish and Susan G Komen were born from someone finding hope in a moment of darkness. Today these organizations have illuminated millions of lives. Hope is that flicker when you wonder how I will do that says “you can do it’. Hope is that flicker that when you are scared says “you are not alone” Hope is that flicker that if given a chance grows into a flame. Hopes smallest flicker can illuminate and encourage others. Hope is that flicker that enables you to pursue a dream. Hope is that flicker that lights life’s path and upon reflection we see the power of hope to illuminate.

Hope To Inspire

One of my favorite things is movies.  I love them, especially the ones that take me away and enable me to believe in something we may have otherwise lost hope in.  Movies can inspire us to believe in love and hope to find the love they have in the movies.  Movies can capture a sensation of victory at the potential and hope for victory.  Movies can inspire us to believe in our dreams and create hope for the potential for our dreams to become reality.  Then if we look at the movie itself.  Long before there is a screen play there is an individual or individuals that hope to see their ideas on the big screen.  They take an idea and follow their hope until they make it reality.  The writer had an idea of a movie that could make the audience feel, laugh or cry.  They had hope that what they had in their minds could be translated to paper and then through actors and actresses to film.  Movies begin with hope, they can give hope and they can create hope.  That is why I love the movies. 

Enough Hope to Laugh

Hope is when you can laugh more than you cry. They say that laughter is the best medicine, but I believe hope lets you have moments of that all-healing laughter. There was a transition to my grieving the loss of my husband when people would ask me how I was doing. At some point I was able to realize I had happy moments where I could laugh again.

The opposite of hope is despair. Despair is a natural feeling to have when your whole world gets turned upside down. I have a good friend who refers to her life as a snow globe and when something traumatic happens it’s as if someone picked up her world and shook it. Then, just as the flakes settle, there would seem to be something else that would shake it and turn up the calm blanket on the bottom of the globe. With hope, we see the shake ups as disturbing our world but know that there will be a peaceful rest when the dust settles.
The real milestone I reached in my personal global shakeup was when I reached the point where I realized I was laughing more than I was crying. Hope in a future that can be as good as the past and hope in today being better than yesterday is how we heal, grow and ultimately thrive.

Hope From Letters

Today I was doing some spring cleaning and came across a box with hand written letters. Some of them were 15 years old and written by my grandmother. I spent the majority of my childhood with my grandmother. My grandparents adopted me when I was 11 years old so they were my parents. As I removed the letter from the envelop and read her words I felt as if she was there with me, her letter filled me with sadness that she was gone and hope. I wonder if 15 years from now we will open an email and have that same nostalgic feeling. We all know the answer to that question, of course not. There is an art to letter writing. It allows us to reflect on days that have passed.
There were receipts, words of encouragement and the simple tone of her letter. As I read them I felt blessed to have her in my life and to have her letters with me. I appreciate the time she took to send them and I am grateful to still have them. If there is someone in your life that you love and have something you want to share, consider a hand written letter. You never know, years from now those words may offer hope and inspiration.

Symbols of Hope

Symbols have played an important role in people’s lives since the beginning of time. In Old Testament times there were frontlets worn on the forehead or arms to remind the people of covenants. Modern Christianity uses the symbol of the cross for a hope in Christ.

There are symbols throughout nature that give us hope: sunrises welcoming the new day, flowers and trees blooming in spring to let us know the winter is past, a baby being born with hope for a new, exciting life.

Symbols of hope come in many forms and are personal expressions of what we hope for in our own lives. The engagement ring is symbolic of hope in a wonderful life with the one we love. Our Branches of Hope is symbolic of the strength and beauty of women similar to that of the Cyprus tree that has weathered the elements and emerged stronger and more beautiful. Whatever symbol of hope you have, look at it often, touch it and remember that there is much to be hopeful about.

Silent Hope

Hope can be the sole purpose of an action that we aren’t even aware of; it can be completely silent. Recently I was listening to a high school senior explain her dream career. She had every detail planned out, from the college she would attend to her graduate degree in 5 years, to her intern positions and the first step she would make towards her dream career. Her inspiration was an individual that was a VP at 26 and she had researched his path, his degree program, intern positions, and promotions. He had supplied silent hope.

Have you ever heard about something on the news, in the newspaper, or in a conversation and thought, “I could do that?” It may have been a place to vacation, a promotion, or investment. Have you ever watched someone do something, enter a marathon, change careers, or start their own business and been inspired to considered it for yourself? Buying my first home was a risk I took after an acquaintance who was also a single mom purchased her first home.
People, their stories and life offer silent hope to other people they are not even aware are watching. Individuals witness events, or hear about them and are moved to try something they have only dreamed of and consider a change they may have never considered. Have you ever asked yourself what silent hope your life demonstrates to someone else? What dreams have you inspired? My daughter’s base line for marriage is our close friend’s parents. They embody her dream of what marriage after 50 years is. The love, respect and appreciation they have for each other after all these years instill a hope for a life she wants to have.
We may not be aware, however, our lives are an example of hope to our children, friends, family, and beyond. We buy a new car, redo a room, take a vacation, or get a promotion. These things are examples to others of what is possible. This is silent hope.

What Children Teach Us About Hope

There is something about the way a young child sees the world that can make us believe in anything at all. Children seem to believe in miracles even before they happen. They believe that if they wish for something hard enough it will come true. Children have hope that when they blow on a dandelion or see the first star at night their wish will come true. Children know in their hearts that if they find a four-leaf clover they will have good luck. They put faith in the results of blowing out all the candles with one breath. Don’t stop believing just because the there are more candles to blow out.

Hope and Faith Go Hand in Hand

Faith is believing in something where there is not hard evidence. Sometimes the proof comes in a tangible form at some point, but often it is more obscure. Hope on the surface can seem like wishing for something to be true or happen a certain way. Deeper down, hope is more like faith– knowledge in your heart that things will be the way you want. George Iles is an author, editor, biographer who said, “Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark.” Some people refer to is as taking the first step, a leap of faith, or stepping off the edge. What ever way you see to it, it is still all about believing and then acting upon that belief.

When we started Waves of Gratitude, there was faith in the good we could provide, hope in each piece falling into place as needed and then there was taking those steps to achieving what we believed could happen. We are still in the process and hope is still as strong as in the first days of development. There were times when hope waned and it took faith in what we were doing to push through the fear. Today hope prevails. Hope will always prevail and turn believing into knowing if we don’t let the hope slip away.

Hope Is Our Heartbeat And Our Breath

May is the month of commencement speeches which are typically given by individuals that have achieved some level of success in their life. The commencement speak is meant to acknowledge the work that has taken place in order to graduate while still inspiring the audience of what lies before them. At the heart of these speeches lives “Hope” for what the future holds.

Every time an athlete steps into the game they are filled with anticipation of their opponents. They are ready to meet the challenge and do what is necessary to win the game. What sets the best apart from the rest? What propels the underdog to win? What enables a grown man to pursue the dream of his youth? Again one word “Hope”

May is the beginning of what many refer to as the wedding season. Brides have dreamed of this day from the time they were little girls. They have planned the perfect dress, the most beautiful cake and the most charming and honorable husband. They are filled with fear and happiness of what is to be and what they are leaving behind. They have rehearsed every detail and calculated exactly how the day will unfold into the perfect day. What motivates this effort and planning besides love? “Hope” that this is only the beginning of the beauty and love their life will hold.
Hope is at the root of every thing we do. It enables us to move forward and take risks. It inspires us and those around us. It lifts ours spirits when life knocks us down. “Hope” is our core in life; it is our heartbeat and breathe wrapped up together.

Hope Floats

“Beginnings are scary. Endings are usually sad, but it’s what’s in the middle that counts. So, when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will!” - Hope Floats -1998

I recently heard a speech in which the speaker was saying that sometimes we just need to “let it go.” It was intended to remind people that they need to not get caught up in petty grievances and let the hard feelings go. I took it a little differently, probably because I didn’t feel like I was holding on to any kind of grudges or feelings of being wronged. Instead I took it that when we have things happen to us that are beyond our control, we need to feel what we feel and then move on.
It can be scary to start new and let go of something that is familiar, even if that something is a negative feeling. If we are used to harboring those feelings, then they are what feel normal and right. On the other hand, we do find it sad when a good thing comes to an end. Hope can pull us to begin something new and helps us better handling the end of something good. With hope, ever ending becomes a promising new beginning.