The Blessing of Hope
Lenten Rose — photo by Susan Izard
Dear Soul Friends,
A few years ago, I took this photo of my first hellebore blooming in the snow in early March. Hellebore is also known as Lenten Rose because it blooms during Lent. I look forward to finding it in bloom each winter. It is always an exciting moment for me. It means that new life and Spring have begun. Hope is in the air.
But I’ll have to wait to take a photo this year. The snow is so deep it will be a number of weeks before anything is in bloom. Waiting can be hard, especially when the forecast announces another snowstorm is on the way. The cold and snow feel endless and I often feel impatient.
The hellebore will bloom when it’s the right time. What I can do is hold on to hope. Hope that Spring will unfold sooner rather than later, and hope that this year the early bulbs will be spectacular. Hope that the beauty of early Spring bulbs will bless all who see them.
Many years ago, my husband and I walked across England from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. When we arrived at our final destination it was pouring rain. In fact, we’d walked through many horrible rainy days and I was ready for sunshine and dry socks. After we settled into our Inn, I went downstairs to the local pub for a cup of tea. An older woman was sitting at the next table with a woman and a young boy about five years old. I assumed it was a mother with her son.
Suddenly, the gray skies parted and the pub filled with sunlight. I heard the young boy say to his mother, “Maybe there will be a rainbow.” The mother responded, “I bet there will be a rainbow somewhere.” I got up to take a look outside. Maybe the mother was right. As I stepped through the front door a spectacular double rainbow arched across the carpark while reflecting in the puddles. It was as though the whole earth was being gifted with the colors of heaven.
I remembered this story of hope as I was searching for my photo of the Lenten Rose and began to look for a photo of the rainbow. This caught the attention of my two-year-old grandson, Henry. Suddenly, he was in my lap and eager to tap on the photos of the rainbow on my iPad. He quickly realized that if he touched the small image of the rainbow with his finger, the photo would expand to take up the whole screen. This became a delightful game for him. He’d shrink the photo and then tap it. Each time the photo enlarged, Henry threw his arms in the air and yelled, “I did it! I got the rainbow!”
Hope is one of the great gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is a sacred gift. When we feel hope well up within us, we can trust we are in soul space. When we feel hope well up within us, we are in holy space.
Each time hope shows up, take a minute to notice what it feels like. Trust it. Delight in it. Pay attention to it. Give thanks for it. Maybe even throw your hands up in the air and yell, “I have hope!” The more we dwell in hope, the more we embody our soul’s story. It is fun to discover who she is and what makes her tick.
May these final days of winter be a blessing to you. May your heart be filled with hope and anticipation. May you be blessed by knowing that you are given hope so you might know Holy Love.
Deep peace to you,
Susan
