Hope Springs Eternal

April Showers Bring May Flowers




The thing with feathers that perches in your soul, and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all (Emily Dickinson). Grounds for believing something good will happen (my dictionary). The one virtue that keeps us believing that, if the sun isn't shining on life today, then the rain must be bringing a healing, restorative power that will brighten our tomorrow (me). 

Lani Gerity Glanville, group leader of the 14 Secrets for a Happy Artist's Life, is also an art therapist. She finds ways to enrich, enlighten, further the understanding, empathy and wisdom in our lives as artists humans, which are inextricably interwoven. One of her latest endeavors is a course on Resilience and Art. one I plan to take for sure. While researching, she discovered a wonderful site, Wisdom Commons the source for many of the quotes I used in this post. It explores the character qualities valued by secular and religious traditions across the globe. Listed alphabetically, hope is found linked to faith. 

Hope -- Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us. . . A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead. President Barack Obama

We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.
Henry David Thoreau

Those of us living with chronic illness or health issues work to acquire a silver-lining type of hope that brings meaning to the daily difficulties that might otherwise just be depressing. I made these healing tags last week, one for a good friend who recently lost her father; another for a group member who lost her son to kidney disease, who talks on her blog about the devastation of outliving one's child. 

I have to admit that I feel somewhat like a phony for espousing hope and flowers and fairies to people who have weathered such significant loss. Faith has carried me through fairly rough times and I have carved a boat that has held so far. My hope is, that when I face the kind of grief that knocks the wind out of me, that lingers, cycles for months, years, a lifetime, it will hold. 

I suppose when it comes right down to it, there is no life without suffering. Change. Struggle. Resilience and the ability to triumph over adversity. I have spent considerable time with others who have lost spouses, friends, relatives. And always wondered about the right thing to say in the wake of such profound loss. Perhaps more than words, though, it's about making the effort. Showing up. Faith. Love. Perseverance. Carry on, breathe in, breath out. Know that if hope offers no comfort today it will continue shining long enough to bring warmth when the clouds part.  

Comments

Contessa Kris said…
I love your new creations. Wonderful coloring in the background and such a profound posting. Love and agree with all the things you said. I never know what to say to people who are hurting except I'm praying for them, and give them a hug.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. The girls and I had fun doing the Illustration Friday prompt. We might try again this week!
Tani said…
Resilience and Art - there we go. How wonderful to be able to take a course with an art therapist! I can't wait to hear about it.

"An infinite expectation of the dawn..."

:)
Lani Gerity said…
Hi Patti,
The next class starts May 4, 2009.
Thanks for blogging about it!
Yours,
Lani
trish said…
love your new art, and the new class sounds like something I could really benefit from, thanks for the info -
glad you like the house piece, it went to my mom (though I was planning to add it to my items to sell-I think I talk myself out of taking the leap every time I get close)
well, take care and have a great week
Trish
Joella said…
Love your tags... I've been pondering the idea of making gift tags for my art gallery! You are such an inspiration:) You can view some of my work at www.oneartsychick.blogspot.com

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