Holding Hope...

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. ~Albert Camus

With Stories of Hope right around the corner I have been thinking a lot about the idea of hope. My question over the last few weeks has been, how do you hold on to hope when all the evidence is to the contrary? It is an interesting and complex question to answer.

I have been trying to answer this for myself. My life circumstances as a child were very hopeless. As an abused child, my life continued to get worse with the violence escalating against me. It literally felt like no way out and and my future looked bleak indeed. In the face of all odds stacked against me, I knew that there was a different life for me and that would change my family.

I have been asked how I knew that and I have had difficulty putting into words. It was not something that came from my logical mind but from my spirit. I had a knowing at a young age that I would be given everything I needed to make a different life for myself. It is hard to hang on to that feeling when the world around me was crumbling, but in the darkest hour the feeling would come back to me. It would allow me to get up and press on. I came to realize at an early age how resilient the human spirit is. This knowing was not in my mind but in my heart and I could feel it in every part of my body. I realize now what an incredible gift I was given to experience this Divine knowing that helped me hold hope in my heart.

I know that this is not only true for me but for you as well. We all have times in our life that seem hopeless and out of our control, but yet we continue on moving into the future with a hopeful heart. That is what our world needs; for each one of us to hold hope for healing our own lives so we can create a future for our children that is hopeful.

That is what Stories of Hope...We Are The Hope For Our Children is about. It is about how we can each look at our own lives, heal the places were we feel wounded and create a world where love and compassion is a generous outpouring of who we are.

I invite each one of you to come to this free gift to the community on Friday night, Nov. 7th at St. James Lutheran Church. Invite others to join you for inspiring program.

Blessings,

Sandy

For more information visit us at www.counselingandhealing.com/stories_of_hope.aspx