I've been around a long time and unfortunately I have been guilty of taking democracy for granted, something that I now see was very wrong. We must safeguard it. I cannot believe we are no longer a democracy, where there is a will there is a way and a number of people willing to fight. I find my hope with like-minded people. I find beauty, hope and joy in the free thinking children and grandchildren I have raised and who are equally worried about our country and are working to find ways to keep alive the great American experiment. I am a mental health professional and I am also an optimist, but that has been hard to maintain since 2016, and if I am having trouble with the tools I have, I am sure others are suffering even more, but we must persevere! Americans are not quitters....Hang in there!
I find hope in the animals I encounter and live with, my husband, my art, and the students I teach. I also find hope in acts of kindness and open minds.
I find my hope in the promise of God. I lean and depend on Him for a brighter day. Yes, things look dire and stressful situations surround us. However, I have seen the resilience of people. When we come together as one, we accomplish what seems impossible. That resilient spirit that I possess comes from my relationship with the word and promises of my Creator.
My joy is in my knitting. Majority of the time they are gifts for family & friends. I've also given away my heart to strangers: scarves for women's shelter, hats for preemies, teddy bears for children to have a Christmas affected by the LA flood 5 years ago. Most recent was a teddy bear for a foster teen who likes making her own stuffed animals. It was my way to encourage her to stay creative.
I am a person who gets Unity.org Daily Word. It gives me a lot of help in these dark times. It's not a particular Religion it is Spiritual. In a very positive way.
I am a person who gets Unity.org Daily Word. It gives me a lot of help in these dark times. It's not a particular Religion it is Spiritual. In a very positive way.
It's hard to find it. Sometimes we make it with our connections to others. We teach children, we visit with friends on zoom, we meditate with kind and generous people, we read about others doing good work, we contribute to healing the world in whatever small or big ways that we can. We play games and try to take a break from the worry. It's a lot of work to find hope these days, but what else can we do....
What helps me is having something engaging to look forward to, since travel and many community activities have become so restricted. T. S. Eliot famously said that "Dante and Shakespeare divide the world between them. There is no third." Soon I will start participating in an adventurous free online Reading and Discussion group called "100 Days of Dante." It is celebratory of 700 years since Dante's death in 1621. While the website is already functional, the official start date is Sept. 8, I believe. The plan is to read the entire Divine Comedy, the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradisio, by Easter, achieved by reading and reading discussing three cantos a week for the duration of the course. (The entire work has 100 cantos, 33 in each section, with one additional introductory one in the Inferno). The cantos will be available online to read, for those who don't presently own their own copies. A large number of Dante scholars are participating, as well as universities and colleges, e.g. Baylor, University of Dallas, and colleges in Italy. https://100daysofdante.com/
My husband and I recently spend 2 weeks away and driving, hiking and walking in beautiful places. The only connection to news I kept was this newsletter and 2 others. Being away from most media, a lot of Americans and doing some strenuous hiking was soothing to my soul and was just the medicine I needed for my emotional and mental health.
It is a difficult time we're living in. Additionally, I'm in precarious situations with my health, my brain, my finances and healthcare. Sometimes, several times a day I ask myself how do I find some steadiness in the midst of this. This is a rugged work in progress! Where I find the most steadiness is in considering the world around me, feeling the sadness about the many forms of suffering, and connecting with my wish to contribute wisdom, hope, kindness. I don't know how to do that in a concrete way. But, I at least have clues about how to foster a heart that can stay tender in the mess of it. That is my best way to connect with hope, so far.
Books. I am reading one great book after another. Some of them I share with my book club - and that is such a deep joy - and some just share with myself. I retired last July 2020--moving straight from (very) active full time work into complete quarantine. It's been quite a year. Books have kept me sane. So many talented writers in this world!
Today I watched a video where a good friend rang the bell ending his chemotherapy for an aggressive brain cancer. He is a husband and the father of two children. Thrilled to tears, I feel both hope and joy.
I find joy in the beauty of nature. I make sure I get out and walk every day and taking all of the beauty around me. I am very lucky to live in Vancouver Canada which is such a beautiful city on the West Coast.
I've been around a long time and unfortunately I have been guilty of taking democracy for granted, something that I now see was very wrong. We must safeguard it. I cannot believe we are no longer a democracy, where there is a will there is a way and a number of people willing to fight. I find my hope with like-minded people. I find beauty, hope and joy in the free thinking children and grandchildren I have raised and who are equally worried about our country and are working to find ways to keep alive the great American experiment. I am a mental health professional and I am also an optimist, but that has been hard to maintain since 2016, and if I am having trouble with the tools I have, I am sure others are suffering even more, but we must persevere! Americans are not quitters....Hang in there!
I find hope in the animals I encounter and live with, my husband, my art, and the students I teach. I also find hope in acts of kindness and open minds.
I find my hope in the promise of God. I lean and depend on Him for a brighter day. Yes, things look dire and stressful situations surround us. However, I have seen the resilience of people. When we come together as one, we accomplish what seems impossible. That resilient spirit that I possess comes from my relationship with the word and promises of my Creator.
My joy is in my knitting. Majority of the time they are gifts for family & friends. I've also given away my heart to strangers: scarves for women's shelter, hats for preemies, teddy bears for children to have a Christmas affected by the LA flood 5 years ago. Most recent was a teddy bear for a foster teen who likes making her own stuffed animals. It was my way to encourage her to stay creative.
I am a person who gets Unity.org Daily Word. It gives me a lot of help in these dark times. It's not a particular Religion it is Spiritual. In a very positive way.
I am a person who gets Unity.org Daily Word. It gives me a lot of help in these dark times. It's not a particular Religion it is Spiritual. In a very positive way.
It's hard to find it. Sometimes we make it with our connections to others. We teach children, we visit with friends on zoom, we meditate with kind and generous people, we read about others doing good work, we contribute to healing the world in whatever small or big ways that we can. We play games and try to take a break from the worry. It's a lot of work to find hope these days, but what else can we do....
What helps me is having something engaging to look forward to, since travel and many community activities have become so restricted. T. S. Eliot famously said that "Dante and Shakespeare divide the world between them. There is no third." Soon I will start participating in an adventurous free online Reading and Discussion group called "100 Days of Dante." It is celebratory of 700 years since Dante's death in 1621. While the website is already functional, the official start date is Sept. 8, I believe. The plan is to read the entire Divine Comedy, the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradisio, by Easter, achieved by reading and reading discussing three cantos a week for the duration of the course. (The entire work has 100 cantos, 33 in each section, with one additional introductory one in the Inferno). The cantos will be available online to read, for those who don't presently own their own copies. A large number of Dante scholars are participating, as well as universities and colleges, e.g. Baylor, University of Dallas, and colleges in Italy. https://100daysofdante.com/
My husband and I recently spend 2 weeks away and driving, hiking and walking in beautiful places. The only connection to news I kept was this newsletter and 2 others. Being away from most media, a lot of Americans and doing some strenuous hiking was soothing to my soul and was just the medicine I needed for my emotional and mental health.
It is a difficult time we're living in. Additionally, I'm in precarious situations with my health, my brain, my finances and healthcare. Sometimes, several times a day I ask myself how do I find some steadiness in the midst of this. This is a rugged work in progress! Where I find the most steadiness is in considering the world around me, feeling the sadness about the many forms of suffering, and connecting with my wish to contribute wisdom, hope, kindness. I don't know how to do that in a concrete way. But, I at least have clues about how to foster a heart that can stay tender in the mess of it. That is my best way to connect with hope, so far.
Books. I am reading one great book after another. Some of them I share with my book club - and that is such a deep joy - and some just share with myself. I retired last July 2020--moving straight from (very) active full time work into complete quarantine. It's been quite a year. Books have kept me sane. So many talented writers in this world!
Sitting on my patio and watching the ducks in the pond. Peace, joy and beauty. It will be harder than ever when winter comes this year.
I watch birds and wildlife eat at the feeders and drink from the bird bath we keep clean and filled which helps keep me calm!
I find hope in nature and music and friends.
Today I watched a video where a good friend rang the bell ending his chemotherapy for an aggressive brain cancer. He is a husband and the father of two children. Thrilled to tears, I feel both hope and joy.
I find joy in the beauty of nature. I make sure I get out and walk every day and taking all of the beauty around me. I am very lucky to live in Vancouver Canada which is such a beautiful city on the West Coast.