Rev. Douglas J. House, M.Div.
“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” – Lady Bird Johnson
Lately, I have found myself seeking words of hope. I’ve turned off the news and begun enjoying other media during my down time. Writing has always been a source of escape for me; escape from realities that come to weigh heavily in my life. As I’ve shared in past blogs, music as well tends to serve as a therapy for me. But where is it that we can find hope in the midst of these difficult times? Where is the sun shining for us?
Lady Bird Johnson, who was the wife of President Lyndon Johnson, is said to have lived her life with the wisdom of the quote, “where the flowers bloom, so does hope”. The final years of the Johnsons’ public life, the 1960’s, were filled with social upheaval and the birth pangs of a new and different world. The strain of the war in Vietnam, marches for Civil Rights and Women’s Rights, as well as so many other events in those times, caused us as a nation to look ahead for brighter days…to hope for the future. Still, despite the swirling of life around her, Lady Bird Johnson was one who saw the glass half full rather than half empty. She demonstrated that she was a person of hope because, as she said, “Where flowers bloom, so does hope.”
“There is a light that shines in the darkness that is only visible there.” – The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor
At times, it can be difficult to see hope, even in the beauty of a flower bed. Barbara Brown Taylor is an author, lecturer, professor and Episcopal priest who has written extensively about life and the challenges that it offers. She speaks and writes from the position of a person of faith, yet her thoughts and words can speak to anyone. For as we consider the above quote, who has never looked for the “light at the end of the tunnel”? From time to time, every one of us finds ourselves in conditions that we believe to be hopeless. How many times have we struggled to resolve things in life that seem to be unresolvable? But then, from somewhere, a light comes that offers a glimmer of hope; the idea that conditions are neither impossible nor permanent. There is a light that shines which is only visible in the darkness of the moment…and from that light there evolves the birth of hope. Time and again we experience the glimmer of hope from something that someone says to us, or from a light that we had never perceived before. While it may be small, that light may offer the opportunity to look at life differently.
“There are some people who are just meant to be a sunrise for you” – Whitney Hanson
Perhaps like you, I have come to see that there is much to be gained through social media, but it can serve us in harmful ways as well. Recently, I came across the writings of a poet whom I feel is wise beyond her years. Her name is Whitney Hanson, and she harbors an innate sensitivity which must come from the challenges she has faced in life. There is a wisdom to her writing which bears witness to the goodness of life, as well as to the sharpness that life also can bring. But recently I read one of her writings which expressed a sense of hope. Without knowing the context of her words, she wrote, “there are some people who are just meant to be a sunrise for you.” I remember thinking, “what a wonderful sentiment”. For the truth is that there are many people in our lives who offer us the hope and joy of a sunrise. The trouble is that they are often overlooked by us because of the weight of world that we are carrying. But as we look closer, we can see that the wisdom of those who love us can often signal hope for us in unexpected ways. They can be our sunrise if we let them, shining hope into our lives and reminding us that there is always another day. Never forget, as others have said, “hope is love sent forward”. When we experience love from another, we are offered a branch of hope to hang onto. May hope, however it is experienced, become a reality in your life. And may you bring blessing to others who seek the light of hope in their times of darkness.
