Friday Five: Signs of Hope

Songbird says: "My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. Song of Solomon 2:10-13

In the late, late winter, as the snow begins to recede here in Maine, we begin to look almost desperately for signs of spring, signs of hope that the weather has turned and a new day is on the horizon. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Easter and Spring twine inextricably, the crocuses and daffodils peeking through the Earth as we await the risen Christ.

Share with us five signs of hope that you can see today or have experienced in the past."

1. Looking desperately for signs of Spring....oh yes, I can surely relate to that! And just in the past week or so the birds are returning. The geese are flying over in their amazing formations, there are new songs in the morning to greet me as I start the day. I have seen two robins, and a friend has spotted a cat bird. The snow is melting fast....and leaving in its wake a lot of yard work, but also some dreams about a new deck that R and I will build together this summer, and a garden we will plant...the first of some projects in the house that will in the future be "ours."
2. Hope is a big thing for me. I tell my clients that I will be their "hope-holder" for a time when they do not have any for themselves...I will keep it alive for them. And I watch for signs in them and give them back...little improvements, use of coping skills that were not there before, less falling back into old ways of doing things. Sometimes I have to remember to do this for myself as well.
3. The second of the sermons in the "month of sermons" is done. And it's only 8am on Friday! Now I can go off to the retreat with a clear mind and actually enjoy the time with my team learning how to do the gifts discernment process.
4. It's never too late. For pretty much anything. That is a big part of hope for me. I am not sure about old dogs, but even old humans are pretty amazingly capable of change. I had a friend say to me not too long ago that I give new meaning to the term "late bloomer." I said to R the other day that if someone had told me as I boarded that boat for the BE that one short year later I'd be happily engaged to this wonderful man....I would have wondered if they had taken leave of their senses. So this may sound kind of strange....but I am a sign of hope to myself....because I know that truly....anything can happen!
5. The light. And of course, the Light.