It is officially spring (at least according to the calendar) and with spring little signs of hope within the world of nature seem to be everywhere. The buttercups have bloomed along with the beautiful pear trees and the ground is beginning to be covered once again with the bright green blades of grass. These are sure signs that no matter what is happening in our own personal lives or in the current economic picture, the cycles of nature will go on – no matter what!

As we so often turn to nature for comfort and answers in our lives, spring offers a wonderful opportunity for us to focus on and find signs of hope that can shore us up and keep us going during uncertain or difficult times. Emily Dickenson once wrote:

‘”Hope” is the thing with feathers – that perches in the soul- and sings the tune without the words – and never stops – at all.”

Did you know that according to Greek mythology, when Pandora opened Pandora’s Box she let out all the evils except one: hope. Apparently, the Greeks considered hope to be as dangerous as all the world’s evils. But without hope to accompany all their troubles, humanity was filled with despair. It was a great relief when Pandora revisited her box and let out hope as well

It is hard to imagine our world without hope—the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. For when one does lose hope, anxiety and depression can result and indeed sometimes our own will to live gives way. Whether we hope passively and wish for something to happen or we are active with our hope and plan a course of action— hope is eternal, everlasting and live giving.

What are you hoping for these days—a new job, a new love or perhaps just better days. Whatever you hope for, do not despair, know that it is on the way to you. All you have to do is look outside the window – signs of hope are everywhere. Today, allow yourself the luxury of taking a walk (even it if is just to the mailbox). On your way be intentional about identifying all of the signs of hope that nature provides. Play a game with yourself or engage a friend or your child to keep count of how many signs of hope you can identify. You may be surprised - at the very least you will feel better and perhaps a little more hopeful.

Celebrate spring and the eternal hope it provides. Be inspired by the words of Monroe Forester who reminds us that -“Hope is always available to us. When we feel defeated, we need only take a deep breath and say, “Yes,” and hope will reappear. Hope does spring eternal!

Take a look above at the name and description of this regular column – it is called “Bright Spots – A Place to Find Information and Inspiration for Your Life”. The concept of this column is to provide positive, life-affirming reflections for the reader that will literally “brighten” your day and your life. In light of the recent economic realities, it has become increasingly apparent that as a country, as a society, as a community we are all in need of as many “bright spots” that we can get. So from now on this column will highlight some real “bright spots” from everyday life right here. This will be the place to come to read about all of the good stuff, the success stories that are happening right here all around us. Because there is good stuff happening – it just doesn’t make the news like the bad news does.

Just today three “bright spots” illuminated my day. I learned about an elderly person’s medical bill that was forgiven; a friend who got a great job after many months of searching and a client who was asked for an interview for a dream job.

For a moment I found it hard to believe that we were in any kind of a recession or unemployment crisis. The positive energy that I received from hearing about these “bright spots” created a momentum of their own and made my workday more productive and enjoyable.

Bright spots are always there, but often they are overshadowed by fear and anxiety so they are harder to find. For some reason it seems we can always identify what is “not working” or what is “not there” easier than we notice what “is working” and what “is there”. This rings true especially in our thoughts and feelings about ourselves. We tend to notice our own faults or our weaknesses more readily than strengths. Much of the time when we look at a situation, a problem or at our own lives, we can readily identify what “isn’t there”- what is missing instead of what “is there”. We completely miss the “bright spot”.

Imagine that it is nighttime and you are outside looking at the dark sky. At first, as you look around all you may notice is how vast the darkness seems – it is hard to see anything because it is dark. But as your eyes move up toward the sky, something catches your eye – a tiny spot, a flicker of light – it is a star shining so brightly through the darkness that you can see it from thousands of miles away – it is a “bright spot”. As your attention focus on that one star, suddenly you become aware of other points of light, shining stars, “bright spots” covering the sky.

This week, practice noticing the “bright spots”. Be a detective on a mission of finding or collecting as many “bright spots” as you can. Once you start noticing them they will pop up everywhere and soon you will be surrounded by positivity and light.