Volume 15 - Hope

"Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the Soul
and sings the tune without the words
and never stops at all.

And sweetest in the gale is heard
and sore must be the storm
that could abash the little bird
that kept so many warm
I've heard it in the chilliest land
and on the strangest sea
Yet never in extremity
it asked a crumb of me."
~Emily Dickinson

I have to admit, sometimes it's difficult for me to 'look to the future with trust and faith." Or to be optimistic "in the face of adversity." (LKP - Virtues Reflection Cards) The state of the world, and the slow moving attempts to remedy things makes hope for humanity elusive at times. I often feel helpless as to what is my place in the scheme of things. Donating the small financial resources I can spare to Doctors Without Borders and other worthwhile humanitarian organizations feels a bit like spitting in the wind. My work as a Virtues Project Facilitator, though personally rewarding, often seems like not much of a contribution to the world.

Recently, I had an experience that renewed my hope. I was facilitating five days of virtues intensives in the small seaside town where I live on Vancouver Island. The participants ranged from their early 20's to late 60's and included White Anglos, First Nations and Middle Eastern; those from a strong fundamentalist religious stance to an 'open to the possibilities' but not attached to any definition of 'God' base. Male and female. Many of us had been victims of abuse and deprivation, (which might make it hard to trust others) a few had experienced extreme abuse and yet very quickly a safe container was built that allowed us to be really seen and heard.

As we listened to and learned about each other, what became apparent was how much we had in common, in spite of the outer differences, how similar the human journey is, no matter where we come from or what the colour of our skin or the beliefs we hold, and I was reminded that:

“We are all cells in the body of humanity—all of us, all over the world. Each one has a contribution to make, and will know from within what this contribution is, but no one can find inner peace except by working . . .for the whole human family.
"Inner peace is not found by staying on the surface of life, or by attempting to escape from life through any means. Inner peace is found by facing life squarely, solving its problems, and delving as far as possible to discover its verities and realities” Peace Pilgrim - From Words Along the Way

We were exploring the soul qualities that enable us to navigate the circumstances of our lives , and recognizing them in ourselves and each other. This profoundly affected our sense of our selves and even our well-being. We discovered that these qualities, or 'virtues' are necessary for success in any human endeavour. And, most powerful of all, that we could cultivate and nurture these qualities in ourselves (and others) by seeing and naming them, and that would not only assist us through our difficulties, (which in itself would be enough) but had the added bonus of helping us to see others and even ourselves as beautiful.

I've said before that the virtues project is not about some kind of 'prissy morality'. Learning about and drawing on the power of virtues such as courage help us get through our days. And when things seem the darkest, hearing others recognize those qualities in us pulls us up into the light of hopefulness.

To share our deepest pain and greatest fears and experience those present not only accept us, but see and name the qualities of our soul, (such as truthfulness, resiliency and determination) shining through, assisted us to see and accept them in ourselves.

"Hope, as I understand it, bears little resemblance to the kind of sunny-all-the-time optimism that turns away from anything resembling the shadow; nor is it about choosing to dwell in some rosy vision of the future in lieu of accepting what is. In the same way that an honest experience of faith includes periods of doubt, so too an experience of hope is known in part by our inability, at times, to feel its presence. We are able to discern our own experience of hope in part because we know what it’s like to be without it. . . . " Peter Anderson

The times in my life when it's been hardest to hope, I've instinctively known, as Linda Kavelin Popov says, that "there are gifts to be gleaned from all that happens." and that "hope gives us the courage to keep moving forward." Though, "it can be elusive when we have suffered often, ...it is the light that can redeem our dreams."

Barbara Kingsolver wisely suggests, "The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof."



Each member of the rag tag group of humanity that shared their deepest pain and highest hope in the hall of an aging church in a litle town by the sea this past week, found {perhaps to their surprise} - love, acceptance and perhaps above all - hope. May it be so for all beings.

~Namaste'

~ Kate

The Practice of Hope

I maintain a positive attitude.

I embrace my life fully.

I have faith in the value of life.

I have the confidence to succeed.

I seek to discern life's lessons.

I persevere through all conditions.

I am thankful for the gift of Hope. It is the light of my life.

Reflection Questions

What do I hope for?

What gifts is my current situation bringing me?

What keeps my hope alive?

How can I share my hope with those who have lost theirs?