“Hope begins in the dark.” Anne Lamott

Throughout my life, that little thing called hope has refused to go away. Even in some of my darkest moments, hope sat there, like a little flame in the darkness, quietly glowing and waiting for me to notice it again.

Through blinding tears, I’ve seen it shimmer and beckon at me, willing me to pick it up and burn brighter. “Don’t give up,” it whispered. “You’re worth so much more than this.” I blinked and wiped away the tears, and somehow dragged myself above the gloomy darkness up toward the light.

Hope takes on many forms. Sometimes it has appeared to me in the form of my dog. Sometimes in a stranger’s smile. Yet other times, in a well-timed call from a friend. Just when we think hope doesn’t exist anymore, there is a nudge in the darkness which tells us otherwise.

We try to stumble on in the darkness alone, but sometimes we need that extra support, that guiding light, to hold us up and direct us forward.

Hope can go by many names: Optimism, aspiration, ambition, friendship, dream, plan, wish, support, change, love, and light. All of these things can turn despair into hope. At this time of the year, hope may seem as though it has abandoned us, through the dark nights and cold days. But remember. Hope is always there.

And as winter turns the corner into spring, hope tends to shine a little brighter, with the optimism of new growth, easier to find and hold onto. Tears turn to smiles, and blackness turns to light. Hope is the last thing to hold onto, yet the most important thing to keep going.

Do you have hope for the coming year? Or are you lost in the darkness?

We hope that by reading this edition of The Phoenix Spirit that you’ve taken a step towards renewed hope, new opportunities, new friends, and renewed support. You are never alone if you have hope. Even if you’ve got to work to find it. It’s there. Believe me, I know.

With blessings for a hopeful year ahead,