(Reading this on your phone? Click on the green header for a readable format!)
Dear TSJ Friends,
In last week’s WW blog I promised you there is always, always hope. And I believe that. Yet sometimes it seems elusive. Just when you think you have found it, more bad “stuff” 
happens. You feel you apparently looked for hope behind the wrong tree. It seems that happiness really needs hope and the less happiness we have the harder it is to find hope. Both can be quite elusive and hidden from view in tough situations. They play hard to find at times.
So today’s question might be, “Just where does one look for – and find – hope?”
I am aware that many of us would be prone to quickly answer – it is found in faith in God. And as is true with many of you, I honestly have found my belief in God to be the Source of hope in very difficult times. Yet I cannot ignore how prone we are as humans to waver greatly in our faith and lose heart. We have lots of emotional confusion and “baggage” we carry from our personal stories. And they affect how we respond to life and how willing we are to seek and find hope and help. It comes in many forms.
Yes, hope and happiness seem at times to play hide and seek in our lives. It is important to remember that they are inside-out conditions. They are not so much caused by outside circumstances as by our perceptions of circumstances which reflect our deeply held beliefs about ourselves and others. Faith, hope, and love all are matters of the heart.
And candidly, many of us lose heart at times as we navigate in a world that seems heartless – filled with despair and sadness, addictions, and prejudice, poverty and loneliness.
I still declare hope opens the door to happiness and possibility. It creates that “slight shift in perception” I have written about before. A slight shift in ideas and actions can create an avalanche of good…or a mini-miracle …or a conversion…a transformation …or an instant awakening.
Finally, I do know most of us have not truly lost all hope but we often fail to notice how anxiety, discouragement and self condemnation chip away at our a sense of hopefulness and significantly erode our happiness – individually and as a culture.
I have had a week of finding both hope and help. Yes, at the risk of sounding too repetitious, I am once again convinced that encouragement awakens dreams lying dormant or even poorly defined to ourselves, and reawakens courage to embrace hope and actively show up to the needs within us and around us.
This week I have found renewal of my own. It has come through books, music, time with friends, exercise, time with Mr. John and a get-away weekend which included listening to a marvelous men’s choir of about 50-60 voices (The Barnstormers) singing four part harmony. We ended our weekend by sitting on a bench at Skaneateles Lake just being in the moment. I have also read some poetry, numerous inspirational works, watched a couple of movies on Netflix that were thought provoking and inspiring and finally – what I really want to share with you are two links to TED talks that are amazing. They are well worth your time.
First is one called How to Practice Emotional First Aid by Guy Winch, a psychologist. It is filled with stories that we can all relate to about things like loneliness, rejection, rumination, self-esteem. It is practical and interesting.
The other inspirational talk is of a very different nature and yet in a way the same. How Judges Can Show Respect by Judge Victoria Pratt shows deep compassion, stamina, courage and insight in responding to people who need us. It is a powerful reminder that in this wounded world what people are crying out for is to be seen and heard with dignity and respect. Her stories are fascinating and helpful and I know you will not be bored with either of these talks. Pay special attention after her introduction to how asking good questions with honest interest, heart and compassion can change people.
I hope these links will work for you! Grab a coffee and your ear buds and enjoy. They each are about 16-17 minutes long.
Solomon and I and Mr. John are enjoying visits, emails, texts and phone calls from TSJ peeps. We are nearly coming to our second anniversary and feeling grateful daily for the privileges we both have had in years past with TSJ’s Mr.Tom and John’s beloved Judy. In fact, John shared just last evening, “I grow to love Tom more and more and I always liked him!” We are settling in to accepting the blessing we have right now in addition to all previous blessings. In time, hope and happiness came out of hiding for us and we encourage others as they too find their way to renewal..
Life is a journey. Ever since I was a little girl when I dreamed of becoming a medical missionary, at my core I have always wanted to be an encouraging presence in people’s lives. My career path took a different turn but my heart’s desire is still to help people find courage and hope for the tough times and love and compassion so necessary for showing up as healers in the world.
Solomon says, “May our TSJ friends face this day with hope in their hearts and happiness on their faces!”
Love and blessings,
Margie and Solomon
