From the Rector…
Driving home from Epcot, I saw a billboard that said, “Hope is a practice that saves my life everyday.” I cannot tell you what the billboard was advertising or who it was targeting, but it resonated with me deeply.
Hope keeps me going. It’s easy to get lost in negativity and doom-scrolling, and it requires intentional thought, practice, and behavior to remind myself of hope rather than allowing despair to settle in. In light of this, I thought I might share some of my practices of hope in the hope that they might inspire you, as your practices of hope always inspire me.
– Sunday morning Eucharist is a shared practice of hope. In doing the work of liturgy, prayer, and breaking bread together week after week I am grounded in a faithful community who loves and cares for one another.
– Morning Prayer (by myself or on Facebook) starts the day drenched in prayer and the story of God’s people which reminds me that it has always been challenging to be part of the faithful in this world. And that God has never abandoned his people and never will.
– Taking the dogs for a walk at first light. Being outside as the sun is coming up and listening to the sounds of the earth as it awakes instills peace and gratitude in my heart. I became very aware that the sun has risen all the days of the past and will continue to do so all the days of the future.
– Plato said that music could stir a person to acts of violence and to acts of love. Music also stirs our hope. Whenever I am afraid, lonely, or sad I find comfort and encouragement in listening to music and singing songs or even just whistling a happy tune.
– Traveling—be it to the beach, Disney World, or out of the country—connects me to the planet and other people in ways that screens or staying home cannot. All of creation hopes and longs for the same things—freedom from suffering and the desire to know peace and joy. Only by traveling to other places and talking to other people do we become truly aware of this.
-Birthday wishes via Facebook, text messages, cards, and presents always fill my heart with joy and gratitude. They are not merely kind words of blessing but expressions of appreciation for a life that shares the planet with us. Yesterday was my birthday and though I have never made the celebration of my birthday a priority, others did—including so many of you. Thank you for those small offerings of hope that mean so much to me.
Light and Life,
Candice+